Doc Rivers Highlights Areas Paul Reed Needs to Work On

The Philadelphia 76ers' situation at the backup center position has caused quite the stir in the City of Brotherly Love.

After the Sixers received some quality play behind Joel Embiid for the first half of the season with Andre Drummond on board, Daryl Morey's blockbuster trade to land James Harden put a hole at the five spot on the roster.

Without Seth Curry and Drummond packaged together with Ben Simmons, the Sixers don't land Harden. Since Philly needed to try something different and get rid of the headache that the Simmons saga caused, Morey made the right choice by making the deal.

However, the follow-up moves haven't gone according to plan. When the Sixers landed Harden, they also acquired the veteran four-time All-Star Paul Millsap. While Millsap's had a successful career, his best playing days are behind him at this point.

In addition to acquiring Millsap through the trade market, the 76ers also landed DeAndre Jordan after he was waived by the Los Angeles Lakers. Like Millsap, Jordan's had a stellar career, but he's not the same player he was years back.

Behind the two veterans are the young prospects Paul Reed and Charles Bassey. While both second-rounders received some playing time throughout the year, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers clearly wasn't convinced his team could benefit from them garnering backup center minutes over Millsap and Jordan at this point in the year, as playing time has been hard to come by for Bassey and Reed.

Bassey's chances of playing minutes with the main roster were always slim, considering he's a rookie that's been spending his time in the G League. For Reed, however, he's been around the 76ers and has stayed ready. While Rivers admits he almost played Reed over Millsap and Jordan earlier this week, the Sixers head coach opted to keep the second-year post player on the sidelines.

As Jordan and Millsap continue to struggle, many wonder what it would take for Reed to gain some playing time as the season winds down.

Rivers Explains

“Just understanding what we’re doing and execution,” said Rivers. “It’s been an area of frustration for us, but his teammates too, but he’s getting it. He’s working at it.”

“I don’t focus on the things he’s not,” Rivers added of Reed. “I always focus on the things he does. He’s athletic, he gets to loose balls, those are the things he can do. The things he can’t do; we know what those are, too.” via

Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire

Ever since Reed joined the Sixers dating back to last season, Rivers has always put an emphasis on the young center's struggles to execute and understand the Sixers' system to the fullest.

While Reed certainly doesn't lack hustle or skills, it seems the Sixers struggle to trust his understanding of the game at this level currently. Therefore, Rivers continues to roll out Jordan or Millsap, depending on the matchup.

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