Doc Rivers Won't Commit to Paul Reed as Backup Center in Playoffs

Ever since the Philadelphia 76ers traded away Andre Drummond in a package with Seth Curry and Ben Simmons to land James Harden and Paul Millsap, they've had a question mark surrounding the backup center position.

Without Drummond, the Sixers were left with Millsap, the second-year veteran Paul Reed, and the rookie second-round pick Charles Bassey. And once the Los Angeles Lakers waived the veteran big man DeAndre Jordan, the Sixers scooped him up.

With two experienced veterans on the team in Millsap and Jordan, Rivers went with experience over the upside that a younger player may or may not bring behind Joel Embiid. As Millsap and Jordan both struggled to capture the spark they brought during their earlier years, many in Philadelphia have pounded the table for the second-year former G League MVP, Paul Reed.

Over the last few games, Sixers fans received their wish. When the Sixers faced the Toronto Raptors last Thursday, Paul Reed got the nod to play over Jordan. The second-year veteran scored five points in ten minutes while collecting seven rebounds.

In the next game, Reed garnered 11 minutes on the floor against the Indiana Pacers. He put up eight points and came down with five rebounds during that time. 

As the Sixers closed the regular season out against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night, both Reed and Jordan picked up playing time as Joel Embiid got the night off. While Jordan got the start, Reed dominated in the 20 minutes he came off the bench.

The Sixers were happy to see the young veteran shine as he scored a career-high of 25 points after missing only two of his 14 field goal attempts. But Sixers head coach Doc Rivers made one thing clear on Sunday night; the Sixers are gunning for a title. So, a big performance during a meaningless matchup at the end of the regular season won't change Rivers' mindset moving forward.

Explaining the Backup Five Spot

Have we seen the last of DeAndre Jordan as the Sixers enter the NBA Playoffs? I wouldn't bank on it. While Paul Reed is likely to get the nod off the bench in the first round against the Raptors, different matchups in the future might convince Rivers to offer Jordan the limited backup minutes over Reed.

"Let me clarify this one more time for everybody who struggles with this; When there's a small lineup, we'll play smaller with Paul. When there's a big 5, you play bigger with DJ," Rivers explained. "Against big fives, because of fouling, we like DJ. We have a whole coaching staff, who I'm just gonna guess knows a little bit more, and they watch every game. They watch every practice. We believe against big fives, DJ is good for us. We believe against smalls -- Paul. Could we play Paul with a big five? Yeah, you could. He may get in foul trouble early in a playoff game which could swing a game. I've been around a long time. Trust that."

Many might disagree with Rivers' approach, but the head coach has been open and honest about Reed's struggles to fully understand the system and be in the right spots at the right time in the past. Also, as Rivers mentioned, Reed's struggles to stay out of foul trouble could be a concern in the postseason.

Regardless of whether the Sixers roll with Reed, Jordan, or even Millsap at the backup five spot in the playoffs, they won't rely too much on their backup center. With Joel Embiid healthier than ever heading into the playoffs, Rivers expects Embiid's 33 minutes per game to see a bump.

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