CAMDEN, NJ–Philadelphia 76ers big man Paul Reed continues to take strides out on the floor. The third-year man out of DePaul has always been a guy who plays with a ton of energy and a guy who can give a spark, but he seemed to have a tough time understanding where to be.
That is why his playing time was always up and down. It was tough for coach Doc Rivers and the staff to really trust him out on the floor, but he played well during the team’s recent five-game road trip which saw Philadelphia go 4-1 on the trip. Reed averaged 6.4 points and 5.2 rebounds on the trip.
Moreso, Reed was able to show an improved offensive understanding of where to be after he set a screen for James Harden. In the past, he would get in Harden’s way and it would cause confusion, but not too much recently.
“I’m just realizing that he’s a great one-on-one player,” said Reed at practice on Thursday. “I knew that, but now it’s like, I know when I need to set the screen to get a defender off of him and when I don’t need to set the screen and what lanes he likes to take on different sides of the court .”
A lot of that has come through film work and looking at where he needs to be after he sets a screen. He has to be able to realize where he needs to space so the ball-handler, whether it’s Harden or anybody else, can make the proper decision with room to work with.
“That’s the type of stuff that I’m picking up on James as well as other guys on our team,” Reed continued. “It’s just the more I’m out there, the more I can learn, and the more I understand how to help them get better shots. Basically.”
It also helps that Reed has been able to fight through some of his recent mistakes and continue to build and grow as a player. Performances, as he had on the road trip, will certainly help his case as he continues to grow and earn a consistent spot in the rotation.
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Story originally appeared on Sixers Wire