Key 76ers Bench Players Proud of Paul Reed’s Recent Performance

Paul Reed's playing time has been limited, but when his number was called on Friday night, the young center left a solid impression.

Steady playing time as of late has been hard to come by for the third-year veteran Paul Reed. When the Philadelphia 76ers took on the Los Angeles Lakers on December 9, Reed checked in for just under four minutes before Doc Rivers decided to roll with Montrezl Harrell behind Joel Embiid for the rest of the game.

From then on, Reed found himself out of the Sixers’ rotation, collecting just garbage time minutes in four of the next five games while not playing at all in another. After failing to see the court on December 19 against the Raptors, Reed addressed his lack of playing time in the primary rotation, vowing to remain patient and professional while waiting for his next opportunity.

“You got to handle it like a professional,” Reed said regarding his recent lack of minutes. “I understand I got areas I need to improve on. I ain’t tripping. I just know I got to get better. I’ve been putting in the work every day. I know it’s gonna pay off.”

Two games later, Reed picked up another opportunity to play in a key moment. As the Sixers’ other backup center Montrezl Harrell struggled in the first half of Philadelphia’s Friday night matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers, Rivers opted to roll with Reed in five minutes of the fourth quarter as Joel Embiid took a breather.

On Friday night, Sixers guard Shake Milton revealed that he’s been having steady conversations with Reed, attempting to keep the young veteran ready for his next opportunity to play with the primary bench pieces, as Milton’s been in the former second-round pick’s shoes several times before.

“We actually just had that conversation probably two days before tonight, and it was just basically about staying ready,” Milton said on Friday night. “We know it's just like a wave of cycle. Sometimes you're in rotation, sometimes you're not, and when your number's called, you gotta be ready to step and make plays for the team, and he did that tonight. 

After Embiid clocked a near-12-minute shift in the third quarter of the matchup against the Clippers, neither Harrell nor Reed needed to appear on the court coming right out of the halftime intermission. When the All-Star big man took a breather in the fourth quarter, though, Reed picked up five minutes of playing time in the matchup that was tied at 85.

“I think it was great, I mean, Paul Reed is, as you would say, raw, but he’s just going out there and playing hard,” said Sixers forward Georges Niang. “That’s what you need. He does a great job when he comes in, and he plays. He plays hard, and he knows his role, and he was great for us tonight. He blocked shots, made the ball in, he was excellent on defense and set good screens.”

Reed converted his lone shot from the field for two points and even had a key block in transition for the Sixers. While he picked up two fouls in five minutes, Reed left Friday’s game as a plus-four. Was his Friday night performance against the Clippers enough to keep him in the rotation for Sunday’s game against the Knicks? It’s unclear.

But one thing is for sure; Reed will be ready if and when his number is called on Sunday. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.