Tag: connor johnson

Blue Coats discuss Sixers rookie Paul Reed’s progression in G League

The Delaware Blue Coats open up on rookie Paul Reed’s progression.

When the Philadelphia 76ers sent two-way rookie Paul Reed to the team’s G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, in February, coach Doc Rivers wanted him to get the court time he needs to develop in his NBA career.

Reed went to the Orlando G League bubble, and he had a terrific regular season, averaging 22.3 points and 11.8 rebounds while shooting 58.8% from the floor and 44.4% from deep. He has been terrific from the beginning and he had 26 points and 10 rebounds in Delaware’s win on Tuesday.

“I think Paul played really well at the start, and Paul continues to play well now,” said Blue Coats coach Connor Johnson. “He’s doing a better job picking his spots to be aggressive as a scorer. It’s a lot less isolation for him, he’s finding out how to score within the offense, how to create for others, how to be a passer that can kick out and find other guys. I think that’s great to see.”

That was always the biggest criticism of Reed. The talent was there and he was a guy who had a lot of athleticism and energy, but he needed to understand when to attack and when to get his shot. He also has been able to become a better passer: He had five assists on Tuesday.

“I feel like my shot has definitely improved since I got here,” said Reed. “It comes a lot from my coach having so much confidence in me to shoot the ball. Another place I improved is passing the ball. Teams are locking in on me, so I’m able to get my teammates open. I said earlier, I want to become a better passer, and I found myself getting more and more assists. That’s one of the areas of improvement.”

Then there is the defensive end of the floor. Reed had three blocks and two steals in the win as he now understands schemes and things of that nature. His defense helped Delaware hold one of the more prolific offenses in the G League to 100 points in the playoff win.

“Defensively, I think his understanding of what we’re trying to do is on another level,” Johnson added. “I think we had a really good defensive effort tonight and a lot of that comes down to how well your 5 can guard. To hold them to whatever it was that we did, a lot of credit goes to Paul. He’s the quarterback of the defense, he’s gotta call out every screen, he’s gotta always know what we’re in, I think he’s done a really nice job picking that up from day one.”

If Reed can continue this progression, he will be back with the Sixers in the near future.

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This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Blue Coats assess, give expectations for Sixers rookie Paul Reed in G League

The Delaware Blue Coats assess Philadelphia 76ers rookie Paul Reed after G League debut.

While the Philadelphia 76ers continue their 4-game West Coast road trip, they have a rookie who made his G League debut on Thursday morning inside the bubble in Orlando.

Paul Reed, who was the 58th selection in the 2020 NBA draft, played five games for the Sixers, but he was then sent down to Orlando with the team’s G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats. The plan is for Reed to get the necessary court time to develop that he was not going to get with the Sixers.

In his debut, he had 20 points on 8-for-11 shooting and 10 rebounds in a 124-119 win over the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.

“I think Paul has a lot of X-Factor qualities that he showed today,” said Blue Coats coach Connor Johnson. “In the game with the lights on, as you can see, he’s got a wide range of skills. He can handle a little bit, he can shoot it a little bit, he plays with a high motor. I think the consistency is going to be something for all these young guys, but we really saw good flashes from Paul.”

Reed did knock down one of his two 3-point shot attempts so there are some good flashes to his game. On the flip side, he did commit four fouls and he also had four turnovers. So there are some obvious improvements he does have to make and he will be able to work on that with Delaware.

“We saw some moments where the intensity dropped and the awareness dropped, communication dropped,” Johnson continued. “I think the quickest gains we can see with him in addition to working on all his skills are just getting his mindset with an every play mentality. I thought he played well for his first game of getting a lot of minutes. He was really productive and made a lot of things happen.”

When asked how he would assess his G League debut, Reed seemed to echo Johnson’s thoughts that there needs to be more consistency.

“I let dudes get too many rebounds,” he stated. “On defense, I could’ve played better on the pick-and-roll a couple of times. On offense, a couple of times, I was trying to force it too much and I ended up turning the ball over. I think I played good, but I could’ve definitely played way better.”

Sixers coach Doc Rivers mentioned that he wants Reed to work on his execution and understand how to play basketball at this level. As the G League season continues, there will continue to be an emphasis on that for him.

“I think coach Rivers is right on making that a priority that we’ve talked about,” Johnson finished. “I think that execution is kind of like putting everything together and making everything work. You played hard on possessions, you communicate, you were in the right spots, you knew what the team was doing, and so when he gets up for an opportunity to play with the big team, I think that something he’s got to pull all together. It starts with understanding what you’re doing, starts with playing hard, and we’re going to look for him to be consistent across that.”

The Blue Coats will next play on Friday against the Santa Cruz Warriors.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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