Paul Reed’s Performance vs. Pistons Earned Praise From Doc Rivers

The "lost" Paul Reed reminded the 76ers how productive he can be against the Pistons.

Former second-round pick Paul Reed has had it tough on the Philadelphia 76ers lately. After earning steady minutes in the rotation early on in the season, Reed found himself back on the bench, picking up only garbage time minutes after struggling for a stretch.

As Reed remained a spectator, the veteran center Montrezl Harrell performed well enough to keep his spot behind Joel Embiid. And even when Embiid went down recently, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers favored a lineup that put PJ Tucker at center before Harrell took the floor. 

After two-straight DNPs, Paul Reed finally picked up some minutes last Friday against the Chicago Bulls. As the Sixers trailed later in the game, the young veteran clocked in for a seven-minute shift. According to Rivers, he wanted Reed to go out and bring the team energy in a game that was clearly becoming lost.

Eventually, the Sixers collected a 14-point loss, snapping a three-game win streak. Up next on the schedule was the Detroit Pistons. For the third-straight game, Sixers center Joel Embiid was off the floor. So was PJ Tucker, who was battling an illness.

With Embiid and Tucker out, Harrell got the nod to start. Meanwhile, Reed earned over 20 minutes of playing time for the first time since Philadelphia’s November 27 outing against the Orlando Magic.

Patiently waiting for his next opportunity to prove he belongs on the floor, Reed did not disappoint when his opportunity came about on Sunday. Everybody tuned in saw the impact the young center had on the game. And after the Sixers’ victory over the Pistons, Doc Rivers expressed his happiness for the young player’s performance following a tough stretch.

“I’m really happy,” Rivers told reporters. “I thought he got lost for a little bit out of his role. He wanted to do more, wanted to do too much, and it got him in trouble as a player. Now, he’s back to doing what he does by being the guy that rebounds, runs the floor, sets picks, and defends. Good things happen for you when you do that. Tonight’s a good example of that.”

Reed did a little bit of everything on Sunday in Detroit. With his 24 minutes of action, the young center put up seven shots. He made all but one of his field goal attempts. Reed also got to the free-throw line twice and drained all four of his shots. He wrapped up the game with 16 points. It was the second-most amount of points he produced in one game this season and just the third time he exceeded double-digits on offense this year.

As always, Reed was a force on the glass as well. With eight offensive rebounds, and four on the defensive end, Reed collected his third double-double of the season with 12 rebounds. He also added three steals to his stat line as well.

While it will remain tough for Reed to pick up minutes when the Sixers get fully healthy again, considering Harrell’s been thriving in his role as well, at least the former second-rounder is proving to his coaching staff that he’s ready to produce when his number is called.

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