Paul Reed, who got it ‘Out the Mud,’ is determined to make an impact on and off the court

For the 76ers’ Paul Reed, the goal is to contribute much more to Philadelphia than basketball. The post player is determined to give back to the community.

“We make it to the league and a lot of dudes forget to give back and forget about the small things like this,” he said Sunday at The Paul Reed Out of the Mud Clinic. “I just pride myself on not being one of those types of dudes.”

That was obvious this weekend.

On Friday, Reed participated in a Sixers back-to-school event at Rhodes E. Washington Elementary School in North Philadelphia. Then on Sunday, he hosted his clinic at the West Philadelphia YMCA. The event offered a free basketball camp and NBA2K23 tournament for 150 youths, with Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey serving as a special guest.

“We got a lot of goodies for the kids,” Reed said. “We got a lot of book bags, basketballs, all types of stuff. … We got the Out the Mud T-shirts, hats, and school supplies.”

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The phrase “out of the mud” means coming from the bottom to rise to the top. It’s a slogan that the Orlando native lives by, even putting together an “Out of the Mud” T-shirt and sweatshirt business.

“Growing up, I always knew that I could make it to the league,” said Reed, a former three-star college basketball recruit at Wekiva High School. “That was always my goal. That was always my dream. So I always knew that I could make it. I was always confident about that.

“I just didn’t know how the process was going to look. I didn’t know how the journey was going to look.”

The journey started at DePaul University and led to Reed’s selection as the 58th pick in the 2020 NBA draft. Reed garnered MVP and rookie of the year honors in the G League during the 2020-21 season. However, he only made 26 appearances that season with the Sixers.

The 24-year-old played in 38 games the following season before averaging career highs of 4.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 10.9 minutes in a career-best 69 games played last season.

But those numbers didn’t communicate his true value. With Joel Embiid out, Reed stepped up when the Sixers needed him most in the opening-round playoffs series sweep of the Brooklyn Nets.

Reed had 10 points, 15 rebounds, and made timely plays as the Sixers closed out the series with a 96-88 Game 4 victory. He started at center in place of Embiid, who was sidelined with a sprained right knee.

This offseason, the Sixers rewarded him with a $23.5 million contract, matching the Utah Jazz’s offer sheet.

With that comes higher expectations. Reed welcomes that.

“I mean, of course I got higher expectations for myself,” he said. “I feel like I’m only scratching the surface so far of what I’ve been able to showcase in the NBA. I have so much more to prove and show with my game. … And I feel like this season, I’m going to get an opportunity to do more, to play more and that’s what signing that contract kind of does for me: The extra cushion to make a couple of mistakes and keep playing. It’s showing that they trust me to be a player.”

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A big fan of Reed’s, new coach Nick Nurse wants to unlock his versatility. That will involve the 6-foot-9, 220-pounder playing, at times, alongside Embiid. Reed’s primary focus this offseason was working on his shooting so he can excel at multiple positions.

But what type of feedback is he receiving from the new coaching staff?

“Basically what they’re saying, when we put you in, we need you to do what you do no matter what the position you are at,” Reed said. “That’s basically kind of the vibe that I’m getting.”

Is that running the floor? Block shots? Getting steals? Scoring transition dunks?

“Man, you know what Paul Reed is in there to do: A couple of blocks, rebounds, a couple of dunks,” he said. “Don’t let me get hot. Don’t let me start hitting some shots on them. That’s kind of what’s expected.”

That’s why Reed’s been working on his game and staying in the weight room since the conclusion of the season. He’s determined to make an impact in his fourth year as a Sixer.

But this past weekend, the focus was also on making an impact off the court. And he’s already turned his attention to next summer’s Out of the Mud clinic.

“The next one’s going to be better for sure,” Reed said.