PHILADELPHIA — Through the first two preseason games, Philadelphia 76ers big man Paul Reed has had some so-so performances.
In Sunday’s loss to the Boston Celtics, Reed shot 1-for-8 and had a tough time finding a rhythm. In Wednesday’s loss to the Celtics, he shot better, 5-for-8. He shot 1-for-5 in the first half on Wednesday so he still has to be able to overcome slow starts in order to be more productive on the floor.
“He’s been OK,” coach Nick Nurse said of Reed. “I think he’ll probably tell you he’d like to play a little bit better, but I think tonight (Wednesday), he finally found a few little angles to make some finishes that he didn’t find the other night. He’s played hard. He played some pretty long stints for him, I think, but I want him to get aggressive.”
Reed hasn’t been shy about taking the open 3s he’s receiving within the offense. He just hasn’t taken advantage of them: He is 0-for-3 from deep in the preseason.
“I think he’s finding himself with the ball out there,” Nurse added. “He’s trying to drive it here and there, but again for him, it’s about opportunities, it’s chances to try and work on some things and I think he found a few. Like, some of the sneaky baskets he made tonight and that’s good to see.”
As for Reed’s evaluation of his performances so far, he understands he must focus on the defensive end and then find seams in the defense to roll to the basket. Everything else will open for him.
“For me, it’s starting the game out with more energy and helping my teammates get better,” Reed stated. “When I say that, it’s setting better screens, rolling. Then on defense, it’s just talking, just playing with more energy on the defensive end.”
While the Sixers want Reed to be more aggressive and take more shots, they want him to do it within reason. There are plenty of other ways he can help the team succeed.
“At the end of the day, we have a lot of guys who can score the ball pretty well,” Reed finished. “On the defensive end, I feel like that’s where I can make the biggest impact and help the team the most. That’s where I need to be focusing.”
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