As the Philadelphia 76ers head into the offseason after a tough and disappointing playoff finish losing Game 7 at home in Round 2, there are some good things that they care hoping to build on for the future.
One is the promising play of rookie forward Paul Reed. After spending time in the G League bubble with the Delaware Blue Coats, where he ended up winning league MVP, the young forward was able to experience a playoff atmosphere with the Sixers and see what it takes to win in this league.
While Philadelphia was not able to achieve its goals, the experience for Reed was big for him and his development.
“Extremely productive,” said Reed after the season ended. “I put a lot of work in. I put a lot of hours in, just working on myself so it was extremely, extremely productive, and once I got out the G League, it’s the same type of way. I always work the same way working, and it’s easy because I have more help, more coaches to help me work, work on my game, and getting better.”
Reed is able to be around successful NBA people such as coach Doc Rivers as well as Joel Embiid who has taken Reed under his wing a bit.
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“Coach Rivers and Jo, Jo taught me a lot of things this year,” Reed continued. “He taught me a lot. He taught me how to how to get fouls, how to draw fouls, and how to keep your confidence up at all times.”
Reed did average 3.4 points and 2.3 rebounds on 53.8% shooting in 26 games with the Sixers. He mostly played in mop-up duty when the game was already decided, but there were some games when he was able to get some actual playing time.
During those rare moments, he was able to show off some skill, but he feels like there are plenty of things he can add to his overall game.
“I was talking to one of my coaches about this, but what I really want to focus on a lot is my passing ability, my shooting ability, just being more consistent,” he explained. “Getting stronger, being able to finish around the rim against bigger players, moving guys out the way, with all these muscles I’m gonna have. I want to get better and then my explosiveness too like getting more bouncy, more athletic.”
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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