Doc Rivers Highlights Area Paul Reed Could Help Sixers vs. Raptors

The Philadelphia 76ers had a common problem ever since they traded away Andre Drummond in the package that netted them James Harden. Without Drummond, the

The Philadelphia 76ers had a common problem ever since they traded away Andre Drummond in the package that netted them James Harden. Without Drummond, the Sixers have struggled to consistently grab rebounds when Joel Embiid's off the floor.

Throughout the course of the season, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers made it clear that a lack of rebounding has been one of their most consistent issues. Therefore, going against a team like the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the playoffs, Rivers could rely heavily on Paul Reed when Joel Embiid's off the floor.

Lately, Reed's garnered some considerable playing time. After Rivers utilized DeAndre Jordan more often than not throughout the final stretch of the regular season, Reed got the nod to back Embiid up against the Raptors and the Indiana Pacers last week.

And although Jordan started against the Detroit Pistons this past Sunday night, Reed came off the bench as he typically would if Embiid got the nod to start. After two promising performances behind Embiid and an impressive outing against Detroit behind Jordan, Reed showed he could bring Philadelphia a spark off the bench at the backup five spot.

While Doc Rivers won't commit to Reed to become the Sixers' permanent backup center in the playoffs, Rivers believes Reed's skill set could be critical when taking on the Raptors next week.

Value in Rebounding

"He's the best rebounder we have, other than Joel, obviously," said Rivers regarding Paul Reed on Sunday night. "In this game, I don't know what his percentage was, but the last game, he went to the offensive glass 100-percent of the time. That means every time for everybody. Every time we shot that he didn't have the ball, he went. That number for analytical people is a big number."

In the final three games of the season, Reed averaged six rebounds in 14 minutes of action. While Reed's inexperience -- especially in the playoffs -- could cause the Sixers to keep the second-year center on a tight leash, Rivers is confident that Reed could be a big help as long as he's rebounding at a solid rate.

"I just know the last 20 champions, there's not been but one team in the top 20 in offensive rebounds," Rivers finished. "He also is a great defensive rebounder, and that's important. Especially against the team we're playing. They're gonna put a bunch of 6'9" guys out there, and he can help us in that. That's why he's been playing."

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