What’s Next For Paul Reed?
Following the Philadelphia 76ers 118 – 106 win in their season finale against the Detroit Pistons, something crossed my mind. What crossed my mind was Paul Reed and how big he can be for the sixers. He dropped 25 points, 2 assists, 6 rebounds with 4 steals and a block. In a backup heavy game it was important to see what could work for our team’s bench and I truly believe Paul went out there just owned his moment. And in the spotlight Deandre Jordan dropped just 8 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block as the starting center against the Pistons.
While truly we do not know how Paul will do given the higher pressure that comes with the playoffs I do think Reed should be our backup center with Jordan taking a hopefully necessary cut in playtime. I think he does need to work on his aggression that brings fouls on defense but he is a solid defender and very capable backup for Joel Embiid in my opinion, not only is he a fun player to watch but I feel his presence is felt energy wise and the way the fans go crazy for him. When he goes on the court you can feel the fans get louder as they cheer for this young player.
As for how the playoffs go I do not think Paul Reed’s minutes or role will increase. Despite what my opinion is, I believe that Doc Rivers will be more likely to increase Embiid’s minutes, with the main purpose in mind of having our best and most important players on the floor as much as possible. I truly do not expect big changes minute wise for Paul Reed unless he shows good play in the playoffs. I do think that Embiid will definitely handle his job as expected but as long as Reed gets some minutes we will have another decent bench player. I think he can bring more life to the bench if given a chance.
As for the future I think he should be our backup center going into next season. He should spend time learning with Embiid and anyone else that he thinks can help his individual game. I believe he will be at least a ten points, ten rebounds off the bench guys with some steals and occasional block or two added. For me he can truly be a great back up eventually who I think has sixth man of the year ability on this team and potentially a bigger role elsewhere. Paul Reed is truly the guy on the 76ers that fans should keep their eyes on.
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Categorized:Sixers