Philadelphia 76ers: Paul Reed speaks an All-Star berth into existence

Speak into existence.

Paul Reed isn’t supposed to be a member of the Philadelphia 76ers right now.

He was a three-star recruit coming out of high school according to 24/7 Sports, only took three college visits before committing to DePaul University, and, after three increasingly impressive seasons with the Blue Demons, fell all the way to 58th overall in the 2020 NBA Draft. Despite ultimately hearing his name called on the NBA’s biggest day for soon-to-be professionals, Reed was signed to a two-way deal instead of a full-on NBA contract and was relegated to G-League duty for much of his maiden voyage in the association.

But did Reed let that dissuade him? Goodness no. Reed balled out in the G-League, eventually winning both the MVP and Rookie of the Year awards, and had his contract converted to a standard NBA contract worth $3.9 million over three years with a non-guaranteed year in 2022-23. Again mostly tasked with playing in Delaware despite having thoroughly dominated that level of competition, Reed kept his head down, put in even more work, and now, after an extremely consequential trade deadline, Reed remains in a red, white, and blue and has surprisingly worked his way into Doc Rivers‘ rotation.

So with Paul Reed having willed an NBA career into existence based on hard work and determination, why wouldn’t he continue to shoot for the moon with his personal goals? I mean, he became a star at DuPaul, a star in Delaware, and a fan favorite with the Philadelphia 76ers; why shouldn’t he set his sights on becoming a minted NBA All-Star?

Oh wait, he did just that on Twitter.

Paul Reed’s ambition is infectious for the Philadelphia 76ers.

For Paul Reed to ever become a legit NBA All-Star, he really needs to become a threat to shoot from beyond the arc.

Right now, at the tender age of 22, Reed is a deceptively good defender, an efficient rebounder, and the type of player who can swing the momentum of a game with a big play around the rim. While all of that is well and good and makes him a fun player to watch when inserted into a game as a small-ball center in switch-heavy sets, to truly come into his own as an NBA player, the 6-foot-9, 210-pound big man has to translate his G-League 3 point efficiency to the big leagues.

Why? Because Reed’s best NBA position is as a power forward, not a center.

Sure, Reed can play center, especially in a post-Draymond Green era of NBA basketball, but he’s just too small to be able to hold down the painted area against players like Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, or Karl-Anthony Towns, let alone Eastern Conference bigs like Andre Drummond, Bam Adayayo, or Nikola Vučević, all of whom could face off against the Sixers come playoff time.

No, for Reed to achieve his dreams and become a starter at the NBA level, let alone become a player worthy of All-Star consideration like Paul Millsap before him, he has to embrace playing power forward alongside Embiid, instead of taking on sub-20 minutes of action a night in his stead.

So far, that look hasn’t been particularly effective, as the Sixers have a Net Rating of -2.3 over the 21 minutes of action over five games, but again, that has more to do with Reed’s usage than a stylistic incompatibility. If Reed attempted 4.5 shots from 3 per game, the number he attempted with the Blue Coats, and the duo played together for more than 4.2 minutes a night once every ten or so games, that Net Rating might go up quite a bit.

Considering Reed hasn’t taken a 3 at the NBA level since December 15th, 2021, and only has four attempts on the season so far, taking a few more shots as a floor spacer has to be the next step in the on-court development of BBall Paul.

Paul Reed hasn’t been handed anything by the Philadelphia 76ers. He made it onto the 15 man roster the hard way, was reportedly shopped at the 2022 NBA trade deadline, and clearly isn’t a favorite of Doc Rivers, as he has to work incredibly hard to even get double-digit minutes in the rotation. But do you know what? If there was ever a guy not to bet against, it would be Mr. BBall, as he’s consistently overshot expectations by a country mile and spoke a career in his chosen profession into existence. If he can fold a reliable 3 point shot into his portfolio of basketball moves, it will go a long way to making that All-Star dream a reality.