8. Paul Reed (written by Nick Butler)
As we head into the 2023-24 NBA season, Paul Reed is finally “out the mud” after being freed from the shackles of the bench by former head coach, Doc Rivers. Reed has improved impressively year over year and is poised to be a real contributor on a Sixers roster that still has NBA title aspirations.
It was uncertain if Reed would be a building block in the future of the Sixers after Danny Ainge, the General Manager of the Utah Jazz, offered the restricted free agent big man a substantial contract this offseason. Daryl Morey and the Sixers showed their commitment and belief in Reed by matching Utah’s offer and there are high expectations for him this upcoming season.
Reed has developed nicely into the primary backup for Joel Embiid.
This year, the Sixers have a logjam in the frontcourt and Reed will have to once again earn his minutes. While there are still some parts of his game he needs to work on, with Nick Nurse coming into the fold, you better believe Reed can get closer to a Pascal Siakam level of development.
In Toronto, Nurse took Siakiam and Fred Van Fleet and turned them from relative unknowns to valuable assets and stars on a CHampionship team in 2019. Just imagine what the Sixers could get out of a player with the athleticism of Reed. His defensive skill set still needs work, but expect improvement, especially with the frontcourt talent brought in during the Sixers’ offseason.