Philadelphia 76ers: Paul Reed should play for suspended Dwight Howard

With one more win, the Philadelphia 76ers officially secure homecourt advantage for the entirety of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Now granted, that’s been the case for about a week now, as the Sixers have a classic case of senioritis where they are a bit too focused on the summer to take care of business right now, but still, with two games left to play, excitement grows with each passing game.

Will the Sixers pull out the W against the Orlando Magic on a beautiful South Philly Friday night? Or will it all come down to a Game 71 final showdown to decide it all when the team takes the Wells Fargo Center on last time against the… well, the Orlando Magic, again.

Well, if the Sixers want to ease the tension right from the jump and turn Sunday into a glorified exhibition, they’ll have to do so without Dwight Howard, as he will be suspended for the penultimate game of the season due to recording his 16th technical foul of the season.

But fear not Philly fans, because when one door closes, another opens. While it will be a truly unfortunate sight not to see Howard on the court in front of the adoring masses, if for no other reason than his love of the Wendy’s Frosty Freezeout, the game should give Doc Rivers a chance to finally give Paul Reed an extended look as the Philadelphia 76ers’ backup center, which has happened far too infrequently as of late.

Paul Reed deserves a legit showcase with the Philadelphia 76ers.

More from Section 215

Paul Reed has accomplished a lot during his inaugural NBA season.

He was named the 2021 G-League Rookie of the Year, the G-League’s scoring champ, and the G-League Player of the Year, which is an incredibly prestigious distinction even in this unusual season capped off by a Disney World-housed tournament bubble. Some, like The Athletic’s John Hollinger, have been so impressed by Reed’s game that they believe the DuPaul native would have been a lottery pick if the draft were to be redone today, going so far as to have him selected above fellow Philly rookies Tyrese Maxey and Isaiah Joe (more on that here).

Is that a bit dramatic? Maybe so, but it’s hard to argue that Reed wasn’t the best player in the G-League bubble and thus should be a player to watch in the NBA in the not too distant future.

Only, here’s the thing; you wouldn’t know how good Reed has been this year if you only watch the Philadelphia 76ers, as his production has been virtually nonexistent at the NBA level.

Since making his debut on January 4th, 2021, Reed has appeared in 24 games with zero starts. He’s only recorded double-digit minutes in four games, played more than 20 in two, and has averaged 2.8 points and two rebounds in 6.1 minutes of action a night.

That’s… not good.

While Reed clearly impressed Daryl Morey with his G-League showings, as the Sixers’ President of Basketball Operations opted to sign him to a three-year deal once the Orlando Bubble came to an end, Doc Rivers hasn’t been as high on the undersized five, going so far as to say he didn’t think the 21-year-old was ready just yet for prime time on April 4th.

In the five-ish weeks since Morey made that quote, it doesn’t seem like much has changed, as Reed has only appeared in 12 games versus eight DNPs, and his minutes have been highlighted by a 10:23 showing against OKC. Granted, Reed did score 10 points in that outing, which is tied for his career-high, but apparently, that wasn’t enough to get him on the court with any regularity.

Assuming Dwight Howard is suspended and Joel Embiid is either out or limited in the final back-to-back of the regular season, what better opportunity to get Reed some G-League-esque run than to insert him into the rotation for Game 70 of this, a 71 game season?

It makes sense, right? While Mike Scott will surely be featured heavily in any game without Howard or Embiid, as he has been all season long, he can’t play all 48 minutes – at least, I hope not. with only two other frontcourt players even remotely suitable for a spot at the five, Anthony Tolliver and Gary Clark, Rivers should certainly have to fall back onto Reed out of necessity, even if he doesn’t want to.

Considering the Magic aren’t exactly ripe with elite talent at the five, as they cashed out on All-Star center Nikola Vukovic at the 2021 trade deadline and only have Wendell Carter, Donta Hall, and Mo Wagner expected to be active for their penultimate showdown against the Sixers, Reed could conceivably put in some quality work against the East’s 14th ranked team and maybe pad out his rookie highlight film with a few more sweet dunks and 3 pointers.

Next. Matisse Thybulle is about to cement a unicorn season. dark

If he can help secure a W and the resulting full homecourt advantage, it’ll further cement Paul Reed’s legacy as a “The Process”-level diamond in the rough. And if not? Well, there’s always one final game where the Philadelphia 76ers can get “out the mud” and clinch first place with their typical one-two punch of Joel Embiid and Dwight Howard. So really, there’s no downside to giving “BBall” Paul 24 minutes in a borderline meaningless game, just a better chance to secure a win than playing Mike Scott for 48 straight minutes.