Paul Reed's Finding Success Keeping It Simple & Selfless

As Paul Reed geared up for his fourth season with the Philadelphia 76ers, the former second-round pick was more secure than ever. Not only did he lock in a multi-year in the offseason, but Reed was returning to the Sixers to play for a head coach who was intrigued with the idea of expanding his role.

Going from Doc Rivers to Nick Nurse was like night and day for Reed, who played on a short leash with a strict job description throughout his first few years in the NBA. Last season, Reed described his role as the man who does the “dirty work” for the Sixers, grabbing rebounds and making hustle plays off the bench.

Although Reed’s work ethic helped him grow from a versatility standpoint, the Sixers’ previous coaching staff wasn’t ready to give the young center the offensive freedom to increase his role. In fact, former Sixers head coach Doc Rivers flat-out admitted that he wasn’t worried about Reed’s offense in the slightest around this time last year.

“I’m not worried about Paul Reed’s offense at all. I’m just not,” Rivers said during a late November practice last season. “I think Paul Reed has to rebound, defend, be our energy player, and do all of those things. The offensive end will take care of itself.”

Nurse, on the other hand, took a much different approach. As soon as he signed on to fill the void that Rivers’ firing left, the veteran head coach started working with Reed in ways to help him sharpen his offensive tools so he could confidently build on his value as an all-around contributor.

The first-year head coach had the right idea, but everything seemed forced in the beginning. When Paul Reed stepped foot on the floor during the Sixers’ 2023 preseason opener against the Boston Celtics, he was eager to show off his shot after spending the summer working with Nurse and his shooting doctors. The results weren’t promising.

In 23 minutes of action, Reed launched eight shots from the field, with one coming from beyond the arc. He only had one of his attempts fall successfully. While Reed was much more efficient in his second preseason outing a few nights later, scoring ten points and going 5-9 from the field, his two attempts from outside of the paint missed.

The preseason wasn’t a total flop for Reed, who averaged 9.8 points and 6.3 rebounds across four games. Once the young veteran shifted his focus from forcing shots on the offensive end to letting the game come to him naturally, everything fell into place before the start of the regular season.

But even the start of the 2023-2024 run seemed slightly off for Reed. In the first four games, Reed averaged 3.8 points and 4.8 rebounds. He found himself in foul trouble at times, totaling 12 fouls in an average of 13 minutes of action per game. Once again, it appeared that Reed was struggling to find his fit.

Going into the Sixers’ fifth matchup against the Phoenix Suns, Reed refocused, and the results since then have been promising.

Over the last three games against the Suns, Washington Wizards, and Boston Celtics, Reed has averaged six points and five rebounds per game. He’s looked more comfortable and confident, which stems from the former G League MVP simplifying his game “a lot of bit” to get him back on track.

“It’s not that hard for me,” Reed told All76ers this week. “My position and my role for this team is really simple: Defense, rebound, and finish. Shoot the shots if I got to, but at the end of the day, picking and rolling is what’s going to help the team the most.”

Just the other night, 76ers center Joel Embiid claimed the current roster is filled with selfless players who aren’t in it for solo success. Reed confirmed that much when the backup big man discussed what he needed to do on a personal level to get on the right track.

“I’m feeling more comfortable just knowing what I need to do to help the team,” Reed said. “It’s about the team right now for me. I can’t let my ego get involved. That’s kind of been my mindset, just moving past preseason, starting the season, just making sure I do what’s best for the team.”

Reed became the Sixers’ biggest investment during the 2023 offseason. After filling out the roster with several players who joined the organization on minimum deals, the 24-year-old secured a reported $23.5 million deal through the restricted free agency market. More money in the bank might make a young player feel like they have to put more numbers on the box score, but Reed doesn’t see it that way.

“I wouldn’t say that [the contract added pressure],” he explained. “I put pressure on myself just as far as I continue to get better. I’m thinking like, alright, I got to add things to my game. I gotta make X amount of threes per game. I got to take X amount of threes per game, but really, I can go out there and just do what I’ve been doing. Playing hard, picking and rolling, if I get a shot, then take it. If I don’t got it, move it, set the screen, roll, go get the offensive rebound or something. Things like that, that’s what’s going to keep me getting paid and keep me on the court.”

For the first time in his career, Reed has job security. As the Sixers cut ties with Montrezl Harrell and traded away Filip Petrusev and PJ Tucker, who played at the five at times last year, Mo Bamba is the only other center on the team’s roster. The threat of sitting for stretches of games after making a mistake or two no longer exists in Reed’s world. While that helps him keep a consistent role, he doesn’t use that as comfort to keep him motivated.

“I ain’t trying to make no mistakes, period,” he claimed. “I know every mistake, it hurts the team.”

Reed isn’t looking to force an expanded role just because he has the green light to step out of the box these days. By using the preseason as a trial period, giving him an opportunity to analyze what works for the greater good of the team and what doesn’t, Reed feels like he’s figured it out.

“At the end of the day, I’m trying to do whatever the team needs me to do for the team to be better,” he finished. “I’m a team-first type of guy right now. That’s what’s gonna keep me on the court. That’s kind of where I’m at with it.”