Paul Reed Heads Back to NBA G League for a Game With Blue Coats

The Sixers are assigning Paul Reed to their NBA G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, this weekend. Reed, who starred in the developmental league last season as he won MVP and was named the Rookie of the Year, will make his first G League appearance since last year's championship in the Orlando bubble on Saturday.

As the Blue Coats are set to take on the Toronto Raptors affiliate, Raptors 905, on Saturday afternoon, Reed will be available for Delaware. While Reed will be a member of the Blue Coats this weekend, he isn't expected to stay with them for long.

According to a team official, the expectation is that the Sixers are going to recall Reed for their next game, which is set for Monday. However, when the Sixers take on the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday, Reed won't be around.

The decision by the Sixers to assign the second-year forward/center hybrid to the G League shouldn't come as much of a surprise. While Paul Reed has seen his playing time increase as the Sixers have missed key players such as Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris, there was a point during the Sixers' road stretch where Reed seemingly fell out of favor with Doc Rivers temporarily.

Over the last five games, Reed has averaged roughly eight minutes on the court. And lately, Sixers rookie Charles Bassey has been seeing his playing time increase as Embiid remained off the floor. 

While Reed is expected only to play one game for the Blue Coats, the matchup should be an excellent confidence booster for the second-year veteran as he'll likely garner some considerable playing time in Delaware rather than battling for small shifts in Philly.

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