Paul Reed Remains With Blue Coats as Sixers Gear up to Face Celtics

Lately, the Philadelphia 76ers have wanted to get second-year forward/center, Paul Reed, some playing time. However, as the Sixers get healthier, it's become
Paul Reed Remains With Blue Coats as Sixers Gear up to Face Celtics
Paul Reed Remains With Blue Coats as Sixers Gear up to Face Celtics /

Lately, the Philadelphia 76ers have wanted to get second-year forward/center, Paul Reed, some playing time. However, as the Sixers get healthier, it's become more challenging to find a scenario where Reed could pick up minutes.

Therefore, the former second-round pick has been spending time in the NBA G League with Philly's affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats. Reed's second season journey in the G League all started over the weekend when the Sixers geared up to face the Minnesota Timberwolves.

As the Blue Coats were scheduled for a Saturday afternoon matchup, Reed was able to play in Delaware and sit on the Sixers' bench later that night in South Philly. As the Sixers went into double-overtime with the Timberwolves, Reed didn't garner any playing time. So, the following day, he played with the Blue Coats once again.

Although Reed was recalled to the Sixers the following night, as expected, he once again didn't see any minutes in Philly's matchup against the Orlando Magic. And nothing about that will change on Wednesday when the Sixers face the Celtics on the road on Wednesday.

As the Sixers begin to get healthier with Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris back in the mix, the 76ers will continue to utilize Reed in the developmental league for the time being. So, he's been ruled out for Wednesday's game as he remains on assignment.

"He just needs some playing time," said Sixers coach Doc Rivers over the weekend. "He struggles in execution a lot, and so we want to really put him through it, let him play more minutes, and see if he can get through it."

So far, Reed has appeared in two games with Delaware. Averaging 30 minutes on the court, Reed has put up 24 points per game and has come down with 11 rebounds per game. Although it's a small sample size, Reed is once again proving he can be dominant with extended playing time in the G League, which should help sharpen his game for the 76ers when they choose to utilize him again in the future.

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


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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA