In many Sixers games this season and last, it hasn’t taken much time to notice when Paul Reed’s teammates or head coach feel he’s made a mistake.
As soon as there’s a stoppage, James Harden will bristle about Reed not recognizing an opportunity to set a ball screen. P.J. Tucker will highlight a late rotation that enabled a driver to score too easily. Doc Rivers will throw his hands up on the sidelines after Reed cramps the Sixers’ spacing.
That forceful criticism didn’t all just disappear Saturday because Reed started the Sixers' Game 4 win over the Nets in Brooklyn with Joel Embiid out because of a right knee sprain.
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“He listens,” Harden said of Reed. “He plays hard, so you’ve got to give him credit for that. In the first half, he was getting really good offensive rebounds. He was just trying to go up over two and make difficult shots.
“I keep telling him, ‘Obviously, if you’ve got a put-back layup, then take it. But if you feel like you don’t have a layup, get the ball out and we can get a better shot.’ So in the second half, he did a better job of that and that generated more opportunities for our guards.”
Of course, it’s not a bad thing that Reed grabs offensive boards so often that his decisions after securing them are open to valid criticism. Though the 6-foot-9 Reed is not especially tall or hulking for an NBA center, “BBall Paul” has proven to be an outstanding offensive rebounder. He was in the 94th percentile among big men in offensive rebounding rate this regular season, per Cleaning the Glass — between Clint Capela and Kevon Looney.
In the Sixers’ sweep-clinching victory, Reed tied his career best with eight offensive boards and set a new career high with 15 total rebounds.
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“I watched Dennis Rodman a lot,” Reed said last week. “Also, being teammates with Andre Drummond, I feel like I learned a lot about positioning and tipping the ball to myself, and just reading how the ball comes off the rim. I feel like that’s one of the most important things I focus on when offensive rebounding.”
Strictly in terms of his ability to have an eye-catching impact without scoring a ton, perhaps Reed does have a bit of Rodman in his game.
The possession after he extended the Sixers’ pivotal third-quarter run to 14-0 with a layup courtesy of Harden, Reed leapt up to snag a rather sensational defensive board with one hand. It was a play that reminded you his uncle, Mike Sims-Walker, played wide receiver in the NFL.
Reed has also learned from Tucker, a fellow second-round draft pick who’s become renowned for his variety of zealous non-scoring contributions.
“We’re cool,” Reed said Saturday of his relationship with the 37-year-old Tucker. “That’s like big brother to me, for real. He’s one of the dudes that’s helped me with my development mentally — just how seriously I’ve got to take this opportunity. My preparation and my mental focus, it’s extremely important to winning for this team.”
Sixers assistant/skill development coach Dwayne Jones has received the same “big brother” label from Reed. The two work together closely. Following Reed’s pregame workout Saturday approximately two hours before tip-off, he sat next to Jones and did a lot of listening, nodding his head plenty and absorbing advice.
As Harden noted, Reed indeed showcased in-game development Saturday. Instead of trying to score through a thicket of arms after pulling down an offensive rebound in the fourth quarter, Reed kicked the ball out to De’Anthony Melton, who nailed a three-pointer.
When teammates get frustrated with Reed and tell him how he needs to be better — not always in the kindest terms — he’s cognizant of the way he responds.
“I’ve just been getting coached hard my whole life,” Reed said. “In my mind, I feel like I have to set an example for the rest of my teammates on how to take constructive criticism.
“When they’re all getting on me, I shouldn’t be one of those dudes to retaliate, get mad and have attitude. I’ve got to just take it. So I feel like now, when other dudes get yelled at, they should kind of react the same way. So I’m just glad I’ve been able to set a good example.”
Reed has clearly applied many of those criticisms well. He does not view himself as the same player who won G League MVP his rookie year and averaged 22.3 points per game.
Still, he’s retained a deep self-belief.
“Nah, I never doubted myself,” Reed said. “Never did. Never doubted myself.”
Why’s that?
“I work so hard,” Reed said. “I work on my game every day. I know what I can do; I know what I’m capable of. Sometimes, like in the first half, I forced bad shots because you can get overconfident. And that’s what happened today in the first half. But in the second half, I came out still confident and just knowing that I don’t need to force it ever. My teammates are going to find me and I’ve got to trust that. And that’s what they ended up doing down the stretch of the game.”
And if Reed’s teammates yell at him a few times during his next huge performance, that’s par for the course.