JJ Redick Suggests Sixers Should Start Paul Reed Over DeAndre Jordan

The Philadelphia 76ers knew before they traveled down to Miami that their star center Joel Embiid would not be on board for Game 1. During the final outing of the Sixers' first-round series against the Toronto Raptors, Embiid suffered an orbital fracture and a mild concussion.

With Embiid out of the picture for Game 1, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers planned to roll with a committee of centers to fill the void. Considering Paul Reed was Embiid's primary backup in the first round against the Raptors, many expected Rivers to bump Reed into the starting lineup and allow him to lead Philly in minutes at the five.

Expectations did not become a reality, though. Rather than rolling with Reed in the starting lineup, Rivers called on the veteran big man, DeAndre Jordan. Overall, Jordan appeared on the court for 17 minutes. During that time, he scored four points, blocked two shots, and grabbed two rebounds. He wrapped up the night as a minus-22.

As for Reed, he collected 13 minutes of playing time. When he was on the court, Reed had four points, nine rebounds, four assists, one blocked shot, and a steal. And those two guys weren't the only centers to check in during non-garbage time minutes.

The veteran Paul Millsap also spent a little under six minutes on the floor, with most of his playing time coming in the second quarter when Jordan didn't play at all.

So far, the Jordan experiment in the starting lineup without Embiid has been shaky, but Doc Rivers made it clear that nothing will change ahead of Game 2.

“We like DJ,” said Rivers on Monday. “We’re gonna keep starting him whether you like it or not. That’s what we’re gonna do because our guys believe in him. At halftime, we asked our key guys because we were thinking about it because I thought Paul Millsap gave us some decent minutes, and to a man, that’s where they wanted to go.”

JJ Redick Advises Otherwise

Former NBA sharpshooter and current ESPN analyst JJ Redick recently discussed the burning topic surrounding his former team. As Rivers intends to continue rolling with Jordan in the starting lineup, Redick believes the Sixers should adjust and try something different going into Game 2 on Wednesday.

"To me, this is about let’s adjust the lineup a little bit. DeAndre Jordan, as much as I love him, a dear friend, but at this point, I don’t think he should be starting in a playoff game. Start Paul Reed and at times, go small with Tobias Harris and Georges Niang out on the court, spread them out, give Harden space, give (Tyrese) Maxey space, give Tobias Harris space, and shoot threes."

Doc Rivers made it clear he doesn't plan to start Reed in Game 2 -- despite what the outsiders say. Therefore, Jordan will likely get another shot in the starting lineup on Wednesday night.

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