Sixers Rookie Paul Reed Helps Lead Blue Coats to First NBA G League Playoff Run
Only being around for a few years, the Delaware Blue Coats had yet to make an NBA G League Playoff appearance coming into the 2021 season. Although the Sixers' affiliates had some standout players over the years, they weren't able to help get the Blue Coats into the G League's postseason.
That all changed down in the Orlando bubble, though. Last week, the Blue Coats officially clinched a spot in the playoffs for the first time in the team's history. And on Saturday night, the bracket was officially set.
As the Coats clinched the fourth seed, they will now face the fifth-seeded Austin Spurs on Monday night. The first and only team Delaware and Austin faced off was back on February 21st. The Blue Coats dominated the Spurs 122-107.
To no surprise, Philadelphia 76ers two-way rookie Paul Reed led the charge as he recorded his seventh-straight double-double over the Spurs last month. This week, Reed will be expected to help lead the Blue Coats over the Spurs once again as the former DePaul forward has been dominating the competition down in the bubble.
On Saturday night, the Blue Coats officially wrapped up the 2020-2021 regular season with a loss against the Memphis Hustle. That concluded Paul Reed's 15th game in the developmental league. In 15 games this year, Reed averaged 22 points, 11 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.9 steals, and 1.8 blocks in an average of 31 minutes of action.
The rookie drained 58-percent of his shots from the field and also shot an impressive 44-percent from three. While there are tons of talented players in the program, Reed is arguably a frontrunner to become the NBA G League's Most Valuable Player this season for dominating in the regular season.
Soon enough, we'll see if he can get it done in the playoffs as well.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA.
