NEW YORK — At the beginning of the 2023-24 season, the Philadelphia 76ers might not have liked it when Paul Reed took an open 3-pointer. There was a reason defenses were leaving him open when he had the ball on the perimeter.
However, with the constant hard work he has put in, he has begun to knock them down with a bit more efficiency.
After going 2-for-2 from deep in Philadelphia’s 79-73 win over the New York Knicks on Sunday, Reed has now made eight of his last 12 attempts from deep dating back to Feb. 14. Coach Nick Nurse is beginning to give Reed some leeway on those shots when considering how much he works on them.
“A little bit,” Nurse said with a smile. “He obviously works on it and even the last one he hit, that’s where we put him in the play. We’re trying to move the pieces to where something can happen.”
On the flip side, Nurse and the Sixers are not yet ready to say Reed is this knockdown shooter from deep, but they acknowledge the work he has put in and are hoping that it continues. Opposing defenses are still sagging off him so why not let it fly?
“It’s not like we’re saying, ‘Hey, Paul, this is 3’s for you.’ But when they rotate and do the things they do, at least you have somebody to kick it out to,” Nurse finished. “That was a big shot. Pretty lucky shot (he said jokingly while smiling).”
Reed and the Sixers will look to continue to grow this facet of his game when Philadelphia takes on the Knicks again on Tuesday.
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