Mandatory Photo Credit: Photo by Quinn Harris/Icon Sportswire
Two-way contracts were first introduced into the NBA in 2017. They are intended for use in developing young talent if they are not yet fit for an NBA season. A player may have a two-way contract until [and for the duration of] their fourth season and may only spend a maximum of 45 days with their NBA team. However, the 45 day rule applies to a standard NBA season as opposed to the upcoming abbreviated one. The two-way concept has become a popular way to draft, sign, and develop young players; the improved quality of play in the G-League has only strengthened this concept. Teams are allowed two two-way contracts; the Sixers have locked in Paul Reed and Dakota Mathias.
While two-way players typically don’t end up seeing many NBA minutes, this year may be a little different. In the shortened 2020-21 season, two-way players are able to be active for up to 50 games out of a total of 72. In any professional sport, there are risks of losing players to injury or illness. However, the probability is heightened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With risks related to exposure to the virus, two-way players may have a chance at more playing time than in seasons past.
Paul Reed
College Ball
The 6’9, 220lb forward out of DePaul is an exciting prospect with strong athletic ability and potential. In his last season, Reed averaged 15.1 points, 10.7 rebounds, 2.6 blocks, and 1.9 steals; this was enough to convince the Sixers to select him with the 58th pick in the draft.
Reed was talked about extremely highly by many NBA scouts leading up to the draft. He is a late bloomer as he played college ball for 3 years; his minutes and stats improved each year. Reed earned the Big East Most Improved Honors his sophomore year. This is when he first began to see a significant increase in minutes on the court. Despite having a somewhat slight frame, Reed shows strong desire on the boards and goes to the ball. He should have little to no problem translating to the NBA.
What Paul Reed Brings to the Sixers
The biggest attribute of Reed’s game lies on the defensive end. His wingspan measures to 7’2″; this helps him to get into passing lanes and produce the 1.9 steals and 2.6 blocks he tallied last season. Reed rotates well and his feet are quick enough to stay with smaller players in short bursts. He’ll need to gain muscle to be a strong defensive anchor, but his mobility shows potential for him to play alongside Joel Embiid or Dwight Howard.
Reed also has reportedly been hard at work at improving his shooting. The potential for this in his game is there as he launched 1.8 three-pointers per game last season. His shot does not yet look natural and he only knocked down these shots at a rate of 30.8% but Reed shows a willingness to shoot; this has been something he spoke about improving on throughout the draft process. If Reed continues to build on this, he has promising potential as a stretch 4 and play off Embiid well.
Long-term, there is a lot to be excited about with Paul Reed. He may not ever grow into his body; standing at 6’9 it is fair to question if he can stand-up to other NBA big men. However, Reed can handle the ball better than most bigs and has no problem taking the ball coast-to-coast himself. So while most scouts have Reed locked in as a pure big-man, there is real potential for him to become a legitimate stretch 4. Defensively, he is NBA ready and the effort he’ll bring on a nightly basis is enough for him to stay.
Purely looking at next year, it is unlikely Reed cracks the rotation on a regular basis. He’ll be given a chance in games few and far in between; if injuries occur, he may climb up the depth chart. He’ll need to polish his game beyond the raw athletic ability that he oftentimes relies on. In the limited NBA minutes that he does receive, look for Reed to make his mark on the defensive end. Snatching rebounds and blocking shots is where his impact will be felt; any improvements made on the offensive end are a bonus. Signing Reed to a two-way contract was a great move by the Sixers. Allowing him to get more minutes and develop in the G-league could pay some real dividends in the future.
