Sixers' Dwight Howard, Paul Reed Have Been Working on Shooting Together

When Dwight Howard signed with the Philadelphia 76ers back in November, the veteran big man made it clear that he's embracing a leadership role with the Sixers. Being that he's been in the league since the early 2000s, Howard has a lot of knowledge to offer to the younger guys on the team.

Lately, Sixers rookie Paul Reed has taken advantage of having a guy like Howard available to him. Ever since Reed came to the Sixers through the second round of the 2020 NBA Draft, the rookie forward has had a chip on his shoulder and a will to learn and get better since training camp.

So far, Reed's progress has been phenomenal. Since inking a two-way deal after training camp, he's done nothing but take his game to the next step. Reed started with dominating in the G League bubble with the Delaware Blue Coats.

After earning himself G League Rookie of the Year and MVP honors while leading the Blue Coats to its first championship, Reed eventually earned himself a standard NBA contract. Now that he's on the Sixers' main roster moving forward, Reed is trying to take his game to the next level. And recently, Dwight Howard revealed that the two have been working on their three-point shots together.

“Me and Paul Reed have actually been in the gym a lot shooting,” Howard said on Saturday night after the Sixers defeated the Pistons. “He was like ‘Dwight, why are you shooting so slow?’ and I said well in the game, guys are not going to rush out and treat me as a 3-point threat, so if I get a chance to shoot a 3, I’m going to really take my time, get my feet set, and knock down a shot.”

Reed is another guy who's made it clear that he wants to have a consistent long-range jumper in the NBA. Therefore, he's taking in some advice from a guy like Howard, who is also just adding the deep shooting aspect to his game as well.

Bball Paul putting in some postgame work tonight #Sixers pic.twitter.com/YptIQuWuyz
— Justin Grasso (@JGrasso_) May 8, 2021

And the young rookie isn't only working on Howard's watch. Over the last couple of weeks, Reed has been spotted taking the floor moments after games so he can continue working on his shots.

While Reed hasn't gotten much playing time lately as playoffs approach, the rookie forward isn't worried about his minutes. He's going to continue working hard on developing his game further, so he's ready to take the next step next season.

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