Paul Reed

Making the second two years guaranteed if your team makes the second round is truly a hilarious move from Danny Ainge. I didn’t even know this was something you could do in a contract

I enjoyed writing about BBall Paul in the Sixer sub, and I wanted to enlighten the larger community to the Paul Reed experience. These are the man's ranks in the following categories per 100 possessions via basketballreference:

Total rebounds: 16.9 (13th) – Reed is the lightest player in the top 25

Offensive rebounds: 7.1 (4th) – Reed is also the lightest player in the top 10 by over 10 lbs

Steals: 3.0 (4th)

Blocks: 3.3 (8th)

Paul Reed is the only player in the NBA this year to rank in the top 25 in steals and blocks per 100 possessions. Over the last 5 years (as far back as I was willing to look), no player has been top 10 in offensive rebounds, steals, and blocks per 100 possessions. Obviously these stats don't mean that he is some dominant force (Andre Drummond fills them out pretty well), but BBall Paul absolutely makes his presence felt and is a fan favorite for a reason.

Unfortunately, Paul Reed's chaos can be destructive as well. His fouling rate is unprecedented in recent years. Paul Reed (8.5 PFs) averages averages 20% more fouls than the player in second place (Dwight Powell – 7.1). This is the same difference between the 2nd and 24th-ranked players in this statistic. There hasn't been a gap like this in the last 10 years (also as far as I was willing to look).

Paul will also have one turnover per game that will make you think his controller turned off. He is 67th in turnovers per 100 possessions (3.0), but he is 339th in usage rate. For reference, this is about equivalent to the turnovers of Kyrie but the usage of Danny Green. If I knew how to divide turnovers by usage, Paul would be at or near the top. His only jobs on offense are to set screens, catch lobs, and crash the glass, but he will fry your brain once per game. Just last night, Paul missed a wide open dunk, then tried to tap the ball to a teammate WHILE still hanging on to the rim, resulting in an obvious violation. Yet, it felt like he took over the game (with Harden) during his limited run.

Overall, in a generally unathletic and plodding team, Reed is the exact juice off the bench that the Sixers need. One user in our sub described him as a tornado, and I think that's a great description. Is he the weirdest rotation player in the league?

Sources (I do not know what minimum minutes requirements they use):

Edit: Can’t believe I didn’t add this earlier, but Paul Reed unsurprisingly leads the NBA in loose balls recovered/36 minutes

Absolutely massive

I repeat, BBALL PAUL IS ON THE FLOOR IN THE SECOND QUARTER, THIS IS NOT A DRILL. Which one of y’all crazy mofos showed up on Docs doorstep??

Please play like this more consistently 🙏 love it

Bring this man back at all costs. 6 billion Josh Harris can spare 8 fucking mil to bring back Bball Paul. I don’t care that he’s a bench player, he has intangibles that a championship team needs. He plays with energy and heart, actually cares about the game and fights for the rebound. Bring this man back and pay him his 8 mil Josh. After you sign him get back under the luxury tax and ship Furkan his 5 mil and a bag of chips to the Grizzlies for the empty bag of chips after Kenneth Lofton eats it. I’m begging you Daryl and Josh Harris bring the goat Paul Reed back.

In just over 12 mins of play put up 8 points 10 boards and 3 blocks, not much more you could ask for coming off the bench