Paul Reed’s earned trust leads to highlight moments in Sixers’ Game 1 win over Brooklyn Nets

Paul Reed sent the Wells Fargo Center into a frenzy Saturday afternoon, when he grabbed a third-quarter offensive rebound and somehow went behind the back and through the legs before twisting by Joe Harris for the layup.

Teammates raced out to greet the 76ers reserve center as he walked back toward the bench for a timeout — including Tyrese Maxey, who repeatedly smacked Reed on the back with a towel. And when he stepped to the free-throw line following another wild finish, elevating for a reverse dunk through contact, chants of “Bball Paul!’ rang through the home crowd as the Sixers rolled to victory.

In assessing his performance (11 points, four rebounds, two steals in 13 minutes) following the Sixers’ Game 1 victory in their first-round playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets, Reed rolled out his latest viral one-liner: “5-for-6 (from the floor), a couple dunks, a couple rebounds, a couple steals. That’s what Paul Reed do.” Comments like that, combined with such flashy sequences that border on audacious, are why the third-year big man has become one of this roster’s more popular players. Yet those relentless and efficient contributions, plus the additional trust he has earned from teammates and coaches, are why Reed and the Sixers are better set up for this postseason run with him as Joel Embiid’s backup.

“He’s one of the guys that they have to be like, ‘Paul, we’re denying your access to come [into the facility],’ because he’s always in here,” teammate Georges Niang said following Sunday’s practice. “I think that’s just who he is and what he stands for. … He’s worked through a lot to get to this point.

“To see him have that glory and success [Saturday], I think everybody on the team was ecstatic for him.”

Coach Doc Rivers thrust Reed into a playoff role last season, first to counter the Toronto Raptors’ rangy lineup before keeping him as a reserve during their second-round loss against the Miami Heat. But he spent much of this regular season out of the rotation, while Montrezl Harrell was the backup center.

Reed has always been a high-motor player with length and athleticism, making him an excellent offensive rebounder and capable finisher around the basket. Yet he still needed to work on his consistency because, as entertaining as that freelancing can be for onlookers, it can irk win-now teammates who want even the most minute details, such dribble-handoffs, run the same every time. This became a focus during Reed’s G League stints, when Blue Coats coach Coby Karl said he worked to break Reed out of stretches when he would “start Bballing” instead of sticking to his assigned duties.

During practices last season, Rivers described a frustration level with Reed from other players that “you couldn’t even believe … and that hurts your team.” The coach added that NBA assist leader James Harden, who typically runs the second unit at the beginning of the second and fourth quarters, was initially a supporter of Harrell (his former teammate with the Houston Rockets) as this season’s backup. According to Rivers, Harden had a “major concern” with Reed’s reliability to field passes and make the correct play.

» READ MORE: Sixers-Nets Game 1 takeaways: Playoff P.J., B-Balling Paul Reed, Brooklyn’s defensive woes

Now those teammates have adjusted throughout the season, notifying and critiquing Reed in “the right way” when he makes a mistake, Rivers said. The coaching staff has also made life “easier” for Reed by limiting his on-court responsibilities because, as Rivers described, “you’re not doing three different [defensive] coverages. You just can’t, and we know that.” Even Saturday, there clearly were multiple defensive miscommunications between Reed and a teammate, and he said Sunday that is the area he can most improve in Game 2.

Rivers has also been emphasizing the importance of Reed rolling hard to the basket following a screen. The coach highlighted a Saturday play when, after the help defender arrived, Reed crossed to the opposite side of the court to receive a pass from Jalen McDaniels that he “never” would have executed last season.

Even with the hiccups the past two seasons, Reed has endeared himself to teammates because of his care factor and workmanlike approach. He is often the last player on the floor following practices or shootarounds. He is hard on himself in the postgame locker room following subpar performances, prompting teammates such as Maxey to stress the importance of having a short memory. Reed said he felt “10 times more comfortable … really, 100 times more comfortable” entering these playoffs, and added “I’m pretty sure my teammates feel more comfortable with me.” He was also arguably the most candid Sixer about the stakes of this postseason run.

“We know what’s on the line here,” Reed said Thursday. “We know the opportunity we got. We know how much we need to concentrate and lock in and focus on the details and really just execute all the details, so we can come out and get a championship. Because we’re a team that’s got an opportunity to make it all the way, and we all know that. …

“We feel like, for everybody on our team, it’s the most important time of all our lives. For real.”

Reed demonstrated that mentality in an efficient Game 1 — with a dash of “tricks that he likes to show off every once in a while,” Niang said.

That led to the bench celebrations. And the chants from the crowd. And a phone that “was going crazy” following the final buzzer.

“A lot of love and support from the fans,” Reed said. “And then, obviously, I had that move, so I [saw] a lot of the big pages posting me up. It was cool to see that. It was just blowing up.”

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