Sixers Encouraging Paul Reed to Tap Into New Area of His Game

Nick Nurse opens up on encouraging Paul Reed to shoot more threes.

Since entering the NBA, Philadelphia 76ers big man Paul Reed has made a living as an "energy guy" off the bench. Most of his impact is done around the rim, whether that be with his rebounding or as a screener in the pick-and-roll. However, we've seen Reed do something more this season that he hasn't done in the past. 

In his first three years in the league, Reed never attempted more than 10 threes in a season. That said, it's an area he's tapped into much more this year. Reed has stepped out beyond the arc 44 times this season and converted on 18 of those attempts (40.9%). 

During the Sixers' win over the New York Knicks Sunday, Reed connected on a pair of triples en route to scoring 13 points off the bench. After the game, head coach Nick Nurse touched on his encouragement of Reed to shoot more threes. 

“He obviously works on it and even the last one he hit, that’s where we put him in the play. We’re trying to move the pieces to where something can happen,” Nurse said. “It’s not like we’re saying, ‘Hey, Paul, this is 3’s for you.’ But when they rotate and do the things they do, at least you have somebody to kick it out to.”

It's worth noting that Reed did expand his game beyond the arc before getting to the league. During his three years in college, he shot 33% from deep on just over one attempt per game. 

Reed tapping into this area of his game has long-term benefits for the Sixers. If he can continue knocking down shots from outside, it opens up the door for Nurse to deploy jumbo-sized lineups with him and Joel Embiid in the frontcourt together.