Paul Reed evaluates his season, feels the need to grow more for Sixers
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia 76ers big man Paul Reed finished up a forgettable playoff series against the New York Knicks as he averaged 1.5 points and 2.7 rebounds off the bench. He was unable to make a big impact against New York’s bigs and coach Nick Nurse was unable to play him in the second half of some games.
It put a sour ending on what was an overall productive season. He averaged 7.3 points and 6.0 rebounds while shooting 54% from the floor and 36.8% from deep as he began to expand his range a bit. Reed took some big steps forward, but he also knows there is work to be done.
“I feel like I grew a lot from the season before, but I feel like I could’ve grown more and I gotta do a lot more growing, for real, for me to ever win,” a somber Reed told Sixers Wire after the Game 6 loss. “You feel me? I feel like I gotta grow a lot more for me to help the team get over the hump and get to the finals.”
Reed has the motor and the work ethic to be a rotational player in the NBA for a long time. It comes down to continuing to earn the trust of his coaches and his teammates. He was able to take big steps in the 2023-24 season, but now is the time to build off that.
“Just being consistent and earning the trust of my coaches and my teammates,” Reed said. “It’s all around for real, but really, just mentally, and physically just—mentally for sure. Just being consistent and doing the right things consistently over and over and over again.”
It will be interesting to see what happens with Reed in the offseason. His contract is now non-guaranteed for the 2024-25 season due to the Round 1 loss, but Philadelphia does like his energy and what he brings to the table. It’s just about whether he can continue to make the necessary strides.
