Sixers’ Paul Reed owns up to dreadful showing against the Suns

Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul Reed acknowledged his below-average performance against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday. Reed took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share his view of his performance.

"I Played like shit 🤦🏾‍♂️," Reed tweeted.

In 28 minutes against the Suns, Paul Reed put up four points, six rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks while shooting 22.2% from the field. He also went 0-2 from beyond the arc and 0-2 from free throws.

Not just Reed, the 76ers roster seemed to have a rather lackluster night. They made just 7 of the 18 (38%) free throws.

The 76ers fell 115-102 to the Suns on the road. Kelly Oubre Jr. led the losing effort, registering 18 points, five rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocks.

“We just didn't seem to be moving with the energy we needed to be," Sixers coach Nick Nurse said. “We know they can devastate you from 3, and we talked about trying to limit their attempts tonight, and we just couldn't get it done.”

The Sixers have continued their long decline, going 9-18 since January 25. The timeframe approximately reflects the absence of their star player, Joel Embiid, who has been out since Jan. 30 after injuring his meniscus during a game against the Golden State Warriors.

The 76ers slipped to 38-31 to tie for the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference alongside the Miami Heat. Philadelphia is just one game behind the Indiana Pacers for the sixth spot in the East.

With 13 games remaining in the regular season, wins will be crucial for the 76ers to avoid the play-in tournament and secure a spot in the playoffs.

76ers wants Paul Reed to take open three-point shots

Paul Reed's three-point shooting has increased to 36.5%, up from slightly under half the previous season (16.7%). Given Reed's effort to improve his three-point shooting, head coach Nick Nurse has begun to allow the big man to attempt open shots from beyond the arc.

“A little bit,” Nurse in a post-game interview.

“He obviously works on it and even the last one he hit, that’s where we put him in the play. We’re trying to move the pieces to where something can happen.”

Paul Reed's tapping into this area of his game has long-term benefits for the Sixers. If he can continue knocking down shots from beyond the arc, it opens up the door for Nurse to deploy jumbo-sized lineups with him and Joel Embiid in the frontcourt together.