76ers' Nick Nurse Enthused About Paul Reed

Nick Nurse has high expectations and high praise for Paul Reed.

Cracking Doc Rivers’ rotation proved to be a difficult task for the Philadelphia 76ers’ former second-round pick, Paul Reed. After becoming a G League star in his rookie effort, Paul Reed quickly gained steam in Philadelphia, creating a fan base that was eager to see him in action with the best of the best.

Reed’s role increased over the next two seasons, but it was a slow grind. During the 2021-2022 season, Reed appeared in 38 games, averaging fewer than nine minutes on the court during the regular season.

Although Reed couldn’t carve out a steady role as Joel Embiid’s backup during the regular season of his sophomore effort, Reed was the primary backup at the five during the 2022 NBA Playoffs. In 12 appearances, Reed averaged 12 minutes on the court. However, his moderate success in the postseason didn’t solidify a steady role for year three.

At the start of the 2022-2023 season, Reed found himself behind Montrezl Harrell. The two veterans would swap minutes as Embiid’s backup throughout the year. Despite battling his teammate for minutes, Reed still appeared in nearly 70 games. He averaged a career-high 11 minutes while producing four points and four rebounds.

Once again, Reed earned playing time at the five in the playoffs. Not only did he appear in all 11 of Philly’s postseason runs, but he even started two matchups in Embiid’s absence. As a result of Reed’s success as a reliable reserve in the playoffs, the young reserve earned a notable contract offer from the Utah Jazz in free agency.

Reed was nearly set to head to Utah to begin a three-year deal before the Sixers matched the offer. With Reed back in town, earning more than $20 million over the next few seasons, he’s expected to establish a steady role with the Sixers. Fortunately, his new head coach has grown quite fond of Reed ever since he joined the squad to replace Rivers.

“I love him,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said of Reed on The Pat Bev Pod this week. “He plays hard. He’s got an incredible nose for the basketball.”

Not only does Reed play hard on game night, priding himself on doing the “dirty work” for the Sixers, but he displays a relentless work ethic behind the scenes as well. Despite struggling to win minutes in Rivers’ system consistently, the former Philly head coach always credited the 24-year-old for having a strong desire to improve. Now, Nurse sees it firsthand. 

“He’s had a great summer,” Nurse continued. “I mean, amazing. He’s really worked. From the moment I got the job, he got in the shooting program, and he’s been on it. He’s in shape.”

This summer, Reed has talked up his role with the Sixers, mentioning he was interested in transforming into a Pascal Siakam-type of player and hoping to get a chance to prove his value as a starter. Based on his latest comments, Nurse seems to be on the same page.

“Will he play with Embiid? For sure,” Nurse added. “Like I don’t think that’s a question. He’s gonna be out there playing hard. He’s gonna be defending. He’s gonna be doing probably more than he’s done before. I think he’s ready to take a step up. He can play.”

This summer, the Sixers’ front office bet big on Paul Reed by stepping in and matching the Jazz’s offer sheet. Now, it’s up to Nurse to get the most out of their investment in Reed. So far, it sounds like the organization is confident in its homegrown prospect.