PHILADELPHIA–The Philadelphia 76ers have been switching things up in terms of the backup center spot as they have gone with second-year big man Paul Reed instead of DeAndre Jordan recently. For the second straight game on Saturday against the Indiana Pacers, Reed got the call over Jordan.
In a 133-120 win over those Pacers, Reed delivered a mixed bag. He had eight points and five rebounds, three on the offensive glass, but he also had five fouls in 11 minutes of play. It was just one of those Bball Paul games that he just comes up with.
“I did alright,” said Reed. “I think I could’ve been better. I could’ve definitely made these free throws, but I did alright. I could’ve been better.”
As far as harnessing Reed’s energy and just trying to relax with his fouling, coach Doc Rivers isn’t worried about that. He liked the way he played.
“You don’t,” said Rivers. “I don’t worry about it honestly. I told him that. I said ‘I don’t care about your fouls’. That’s where he struggles with bigger guys. Today, it was a small lineup so you would think he wouldn’t get in foul trouble, but to me, he’s too young to try to tell him to play a different way. So just let him play the way he plays.”
The biggest thing with Reed is always getting him to understand where he needs to be at on the floor and understanding his role within their offense. There are times he tries to do too much, but he played within himself on Satruday.
“It’s taken him a while,” Rivers added. “He’s really starting to figure out where to be on the floor to run sets, how to run a set, he had one where he got the rebound, and he went to a dribble handoff. A month ago, he would have tried a spin move or something like that so getting guys to just understand who they are and their role on a team is very hard. I don’t think people have any clue how hard that is.”
The good thing about Reed is he is going to continue to work and Rivers knows that.
“He’s doing it and he’s like Tyrese (Maxey) too,” Rivers added. “He’s another worker. The guy just works his butt off so really good to see.”
When asked if he is going the be the backup center moving forward, Reed wasn’t sure. He just wants to play his role.
“He didn’t tell me nothing, specifically,” said Reed. “I’m just going with the flow, making sure that I stay ready, and do whatever the team needs me to do.”
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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