As the Philadelphia 76ers face uncertainty behind Joel Embiid going into the 2026-2027 NBA season, one of their former centers is suddenly gaining recognition as one of the most underrated players in the league.
Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley put together a list to rank the top 10 most underrated NBA players, and Paul Reed popped up at No. 7.
Unfortunately for the Sixers, Reed's value now sits with the Detroit Pistons, years after former 76ers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey cut ties with the veteran center.
"His per-36-minutes averages from this past season included—clears throat—20.1 points, 11.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.4 blocks and 2.3 steals. That is statistical absurdity. Want the entire list of players to ever post a per-36-minute line of 20/11/3/2/2? You're looking at it; it's him, and no one else," Buckley wrote.
While it was acknowledged that Reed might struggle to produce those numbers with a true 36 minutes per game, the fact that he can be so productive with a limited role proves he's the ideal center for a team that has its true starter in place.
Paul Reed since joining the Pistons
In two seasons with the Pistons, Paul Reed appeared in 110 games, averaging 12.2 minutes. He produced averages of 6.3 points (58.4% FG, 39.9% 3PT), 1.1 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks per game.
Over two playoff runs, Reed averaged 5.8 points and 3.6 rebounds in just 9.9 minutes of action off the bench. While Reed has been the backup to Isaiah Stewart, who backs up Jalen Duren, the trade that shipped out Stewart confirms that Reed will see a full-time promotion.
Does it sting for the Sixers?
It was already hard enough for Philly to watch the fan-favorite "Bball Paul" get cut early for nothing other than cost-cutting reasons. Now, he's flourishing into a true backup (who closed out games over the starter in critical playoff games, by the way), all while the Sixers are still trying to find the right big behind Joel Embiid.
During the 2022-2023 NBA season, Reed averaged 4.2 points and 3.8 rebounds in 10.9 minutes off the bench. That play throughout the year, along with a solid postseason showing, helped Reed secure a three-year, $23 million deal before the 2023-2024 season.
The Sixers watched Reed play in all 82 games during the regular season, producing 7.3 points per game and grabbing 6.0 rebounds per game.
Reed's contract wasn't fully guaranteed. The Sixers could've waited a few months to cut Reed's deal out before bringing him back for cheaper, similar to what the Pistons did. Detroit brought him back for $1.4 million before giving Reed a new $10.9 million contract over two years.
Philly waived Paul Reed before signing Caleb Martin during the 2024 NBA free agency period. While Martin was a big addition back then, the Sixers ended up trading him away months later to acquire Quentin Grimes from the Dallas Mavericks.
Reed's gone. So are Martin and Grimes. After two seasons of Andre Drummond playing backup, the Sixers are hoping that Adem Bona or Ariel Hukporti can develop into sure answers behind Embiid for 2026-2027 and beyond.
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