On Tuesday, Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers announced that Paul Reed, Montrezl Harrell and PJ Tucker will serve as Joel Embiid’s backups throughout the 2022-23 season.
While Reed is still playing power forward, Rivers is giving the 23-year-old reps at center. The 6’9″ wing was selected 58th overall by the Sixers in the 2020 NBA Draft.
In the Sixers’ 127-108 preseason win over the Brooklyn Nets, Embiid and James Harden sat out. Meanwhile, forward Julian Champagne finished with 15 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists in 18 minutes.
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In fact, Harrell finished with 10 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in 12 minutes.
After a training camp practice, reporters asked Reed how he felt about serving as the backup center behind Embiid. “I was a little shocked,” the DePaul product replied.
“But at the same time, I still want to be humble, you know? I don’t want to be too angry, you know? And I want to keep doing what I have to do so that I can continue to gain more confidence and get more minutes.
76ers coach Doc Rivers said Paul Reed, Montrezl Harrell and PJ Tucker will serve as backup centers behind Joel Embiid.
“I think we’ve got whole dogs ready to eat in our group,” Reed continued. “So you’ve got that opportunity, we all know what to do.”
Additionally, in 38 games with the 76ers last season, Reed averaged 3.1 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. He also shot 56.3% from the field. He is now entering his third season in the league.
In July, Champagne signed a two-way contract with the 76ers. The 21-year-old left St. John’s house before she left. His addition will help improve the team’s front court.
Witnessing greatness. @Bball_paul on his teammates @TyreseMaxey & @JHarden13 pic.twitter.com/fOMX9Jmp1n
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) September 29, 2022
In 88 games and three NCAA seasons with St. John’s, Champagne averaged 16 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. It might be best to initially play with the Delaware Bluecoats, the Sixers’ G League affiliate.
“Winter League was good for me,” Champagnie explained. “It was a learning curve. So I had a couple of weeks to stay in Philly and get used to what the guys are doing and playing five-on-five and get used to the physicality and what my role is going to be.
