“He Deserves… More Time Than Joel (Embiid)”: Nikola Jokic Ditches the Reigning MVP for 24YO 76ers Star for Showing up vs the Nuggets

The Philadelphia 76ers were not able to secure a win against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday at the Ball Arena. After putting on a great fight, they lost 111-105 as the visiting team. The Sixers were without their big man Joel Embiid, who is nursing a left knee soreness. 24-year-old center Paul Reed stepped up to the occasion to fill in for the reigning MVP. Reed exceeded all expectations and outshone everyone in the game through an incredible performance.

He dropped the highest points of the night at 30, even overshadowing opponent superstar Nikola Jokic who sank 26 points. Tipping his hat to the young star’s contributions and gameplay, the Joker pulls Embiid out of the conversation to give Paul the credit he deserves.

Jokic doesn’t want to talk about Embiid right now

After the game, Jokic was being deluged with questions about missing another chance to play with Embiid at home, the last time they met at Denver being in 2019. However, he pushes Embiid’s name out of the way to talk about Reed. As per Philly Inquirer‘s Keith Pompey, Jokic said, “We don’t need to talk about Joel Embiid, not just because he didn’t play, but because I think Paul Reed played really good for them. And we need to give him credit. He was fighting, he attacked the glass, he shot the ball really well. I think he deserves, in this moment, more time than Joel.”

Paul Reed was able to record a career-high 30 points and 13 rebounds and contributed one assist in a play time of 42 minutes. He made 14 out of 21 shots and sank 2-for-4 3-pointers. Paul proved that if he is given more minutes, he can deliver on the floor. He undoubtedly outplayed Nikola Jokic, but the shorthanded team was not able to catch up for a win. The Sixers are unfortunately having a weak spell, with many key players on the injury list.

A healthy Nuggets vs injury-stricken Sixers

Four out of the five usual starters from the Sixers were on the injury list for Saturday’s game. Tyrese Maxey with an ankle injury and Tobias Harris (illness) are on day-to-day, and De’Anthony Melton (back) will be out for at least one more week. This includes Embiid, who is also on day-to-day after taking a fall on Thursday’s game against the Pacers.

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Despite a jaw-dropping performance from Reed in Embiid’s absence, the Sixers were unable to match up against the healthy Nuggets without a handful of their key players. Fortunately for Philly, they will have Sunday off before traveling to Portland on Monday to face the Blazers. Hopefully, this will be ample time for their star players to get back on track.

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What do you think of Paul Reed’s performance? Does he deserve to have more minutes in the future? Let us know!