Paul Reed, PJ Tucker Touch on 76ers’ Recent Rebounding Struggles

The last three games have been tough for the Philadelphia 76ers on the glass. As they faced the Cleveland Cavaliers, Memphis Grizzlies, and Houston Rockets on the road, the Sixers were beaten in the rebounding department in all three matchups.

The matchup in Cleveland was chalked up to a “scheduled loss” by Doc Rivers as the Cavaliers shot lights out from the floor. Therefore, Philadelphia didn’t look at the ten-rebound difference as the factor that moved the needle for the Cavaliers in the matchup.

Going into the matchups against the Grizzlies and the Rockets, however, Rivers put an emphasis on rebounding as Memphis and Houston have been productive on the boards lately. Unfortunately, the Sixers didn’t rise to the occasion in either matchup.

In Memphis, the Sixers were out-rebounded 57-42. After the loss, Rivers highlighted rebounding as a reason why they lost, which is something the head coach reiterated on Wednesday following a practice session.

Then when the Sixers paid a visit to the Rockets on Monday, they were once again dominated as they were out-rebounded 51-39. While offensive hiccups down the stretch played a significant part in the upset loss for Philadelphia, struggles in the rebounding department didn’t do them any favors.

With a few days off between games, the Sixers are looking to tune up some of their recent concerns, with rebounding near the top of the list. After Wednesday’s practice, Sixers veteran PJ Tucker mentioned that physicality would be key for Philadelphia moving forward.

“We gotta hit first,” said Tucker. “We gotta be more aggressive on the box outs and helping each other. It’s not always the guy that’s actually boxed out. It’s like the help, the guy behind him, and just being on the same page, but we definitely gotta be more physical. That’s without a doubt.”

Sixers’ backup center Paul Reed echoed a similar sentiment as the veteran forward, mentioning that better effort from everybody on the floor beyond the big man could help the Sixers improve their success on the glass.

“I just feel like we’re not boxing out enough,” Reed said. “I feel like we need all five guys going in there crashing. A lot of the time, it’ll be Jo down there by himself trying to get a rebound. We need everybody. I think that’s one of the biggest things.”

The road doesn’t get easier for the Sixers on Friday night. Coming to Philly is the Los Angeles Lakers, another team that’s had success rebounding this year as they rank fifth overall in rebounds per game.

With an average of 46 total rebounds per outing, the Lakers trail only the Rockets, Knicks, Bucks, and Grizzlies. Meanwhile, the Sixers are currently second-to-last in rebounds per game, in front of only the Dallas Mavericks.

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