Rivers 'Almost' Went With Paul Reed vs. Bucks Before Utilizing Millsap

The Philadelphia 76ers went throughout the first half of the 2021-2022 NBA season comfortable with the backup center position. In 49 games, veteran big man

The Philadelphia 76ers went throughout the first half of the 2021-2022 NBA season comfortable with the backup center position.

In 49 games, veteran big man Andre Drummond served the Sixers well as he averaged six points and eight rebounds while averaging 18 minutes off the bench.

Unfortunately, the Sixers couldn't keep Drummond on board. As the team made it a priority to get the Ben Simmons saga taken care of, Philadelphia had an opportunity not only to move Simmons but get a ten-time All-Star in return.

The Sixers knew for a while that if they moved Simmons for a superstar, they would likely have to throw some other pieces in the pot. So, when the Brooklyn Nets showed a willingness to move James Harden, they also requested the veteran sharpshooter Seth Curry along with Drummond.

Once the Sixers lost Drummond, the backup center position became a question mark once again. At this point in the year, the Sixers have several candidates that could back Embiid up during the playoffs in Paul Millsap, Paul Reed, Charles Bassey, and DeAndre Jordan.

When the Sixers signed Jordan after the Los Angeles Lakers cut him loose, it seemed Doc Rivers was committed to rolling with Jordan until the end. However, that experiment has been shaky, at best.

Although Rivers mentioned he was comfortable with the backup center position currently before the Sixers hosted the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night, Rivers made a change for the night and elected not to utilize Jordan against the Bucks.

Picking Between Pauls

"They go small a lot," said Rivers, regarding the Bucks. Therefore, he didn't want to play Jordan off the bench. Instead, Rivers rolled with the veteran Paul Millsap. "In the first half, he was really good," Rivers explained. "Second half, I thought he struggled."

While Rivers rolled with the 37-year-old veteran for the ten-minute slot of backup center minutes on Tuesday night, the Sixers head coach revealed after the game that he considered putting in the second-year forward Paul Reed.

"I thought Millsap looked good in the first half. In the second half, he struggled," Rivers finished. "I didn't like DJ. We almost went with Paul Reed. That's who we went between, but in Milwaukee, that was a tough matchup for Paul was Giannis."

When the Sixers visited the Bucks before the All-Star break, Paul Reed didn't play. However, when the Bucks visited the Sixers for the first time this year back in November, Reed checked in for 23 minutes. 

During that time on the floor, he came down with six rebounds, snatched three steals, and had two blocks along with his six points in the nine-point loss to the Bucks. 

Despite having a decent game against the Bucks months ago, it seems Reed still has some work to do before he wins Rivers over. Therefore, there is a good chance that the backup center minutes will continue to be distributed to Millsap or Jordan for the time being.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.