Sixers fully guarantee former Blue Demon Paul Reed for the 2022-23 season

Paul+Reed+throws+down+one+of+many+Blue+Demon+dunks+in+a+90-70+win+against+UIC+on+Friday.+

Richard Bodee

Paul Reed throws down one of many Blue Demon dunks in a 90-70 win against UIC on Friday.

DePaul men’s basketball’s relevance continues to make waves in the NBA. Not only has Max Strus made headlines shining for the Miami Heat recently, but now his former DePaul teammate Paul Reed looks to be making a name for himself too.

Adrian Wojnarowski, NBA league insider from ESPN announced via Twitter Friday that the Philadelphia 76ers have fully guaranteed Paul Reed’s contract for the 2022-2023 season. 

The 76ers reportedly had until January to officially make a decision on guaranteeing Reed’s $1.78M contract for the upcoming season, but decided to do it ahead of their Oct. 18 opening night matchup against the Boston Celtics.

Reed was a regular contributor at DePaul, playing in 93 games (starting in 58), and averaging 10.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per game during his three-year tenure from 2017-2020. He also boasted a player efficiency rating of 25.3 and a win share of 9.6 with the Blue Demons.

After Reed’s Blue Demon career ended, he entered the 2020 NBA Draft and was fortunate enough to hear his name called in the late stages on draft night after being selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round at 58th overall.

Since entering the league, Reed has played in 64 career games, averaging 3.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game, with a Player Impact Estimate (PIE) of 10.5. Reed’s best career game was on April 10, 2022 against the Detroit Pistons when he played 21 minutes, recording four steals and six rebounds, while scoring a career high 25 points.

Reed is expected to see significant minutes for Philadelphia this season, after being listed on the 76ers’ depth chart as the backup center to five-time NBA All-Star Joel Embiid. Reed is likely to see the floor during the 76ers’ opening night matchup on Oct. 18 against the Boston Celtics, which is set to air on TNT at 6:30 PM.