The Sixers need more from Paul Reed during Joel Embiid’s absence. He wants to meet the moment.

With Joel Embiid still sidelined, the light is shining brighter on Paul Reed — and the 76ers need him to meet those expectations.

Even though he’s undersized, the 6-foot-9, 210-pounder is asked to make winning plays and be a contributor on defense. And if he’s making shots, that’s even better.

“I understand what the team needs from me,” Reed said. “And I understand where my shots can come from. And what shots are cool for me to take within our offense.”

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Despite that awareness, the fourth-year veteran will try to snap a shooting slump when the Sixers (38-31) face the Los Angeles Lakers Friday night at Crypto.com Arena.

Reed has averaged 5.5 points on 24.8% shooting — including 14.3% on three-pointers — over the last four games. This comes after he averaged 12.9 points on 59.4% shooting in his previous seven. Reed even made 60.0% of his threes in that span.

While he wants to improve, Reed’s offense is a bonus for the Sixers. He still made his presence felt in important ways throughout his offensive struggles. Reed averaged 7.5 rebounds — 3.4 offensive — along with 1.1 steals and 1.7 blocks in 24.7 minutes.

“He plays so much bigger than his size,” center Mo Bamba said. “His ability to rebound, his ability to just kind of make plays off of broken plays. It looks pretty unique out there, at times. But when the ball goes through the net, it’s all right. The crazy part is … he works a lot on the stuff he does.”

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Reed was initially thrust into the starting lineup after Embiid tore the meniscus in his left knee against the Golden State Warriors on Jan. 30. However, his play became more consistent after the Sixers elected to start Bamba and bring him off the bench on March 1.

“I think he’s comfortable in that role,” Tyrese Maxey said of Reed serving as backup center. “That’s the role he plays when the big fella [Joel] is here. So I think it just got him going. He was out there playing with a lot more energy. I think he likes the new role.

“And for Mo Bamba, it’s good for him to start. He likes it. He said he doesn’t get cold. He’s always warm out there right after warm-ups. And he’s been playing well.”

For Reed, the new role provides more scoring opportunities. As a starter, he was the fourth option behind Maxey, Tobias Harris, and Kelly Oubre Jr. But the 24-year-old receives more touches coming off the bench, which resulted in Reed averaging 8.3 shot attempts in the last 11 games.

Reed had 17 points on 8-for-17 shooting against the Memphis Grizzlies on March 6. Two nights later, he scored 17 points on 7-for-16 shooting vs. the New Orleans Pelicans. Those two games came in a recent nine-game stretch during which he scored 11 or more points seven times.

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While racking up points, Reed also displayed his ballhandling skills and athleticism.

“You are starting to see some more of my package,” Reed said. “For like my whole career, I haven’t really been able to show all of what I can do. As I get more minutes, it’s coming out and you are starting to see a glimpse of it.”

Now, he’s determined to snap out of this recent slump to help the Sixers win games.