The Detroit Pistons have picked up where they left off last season. At 4-1, the Pistons are atop the Eastern Conference, alongside the Philadelphia 76ers , very early in the season. More impressively, Detroit is doing it without All-Star Centre Jalen Duren, who suffered a hamstring strain in just their second game of the campaign.
One of the reasons for Detroit's early-season success is the impressive play of big man Paul Reed, who is averaging career-highs with 14.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. Reed has started at center in the three games that Duren has missed, and the Pistons are 2-1 during that stretch.
According to Hall of Famer Tim Hardaway , Reed is finally showing the world the potential he saw in him back when he followed Pistons games because of his son.
"When my son was here, and he came in the came in the game, I told my wife, 'That guy can play basketball," said Hardaway on the 'Crossover Podcast.' "That guy right there is going to help this team out. That guy right there, you going to put him in any situation, he gonna excel, and he going to have his team rolling."
Tim Bug's namesake son, Tim Jr., played for the Pistons during the 2024-25 season. That was Reed's first year in Detroit, where he suited up for only 45 games and averaged just 9.7 minutes of playing time. Despite that, Tim Sr. saw the potential in the 6'9″ forward.
"And my wife was like, 'Why don't he play? Why don't they play him more?' I said, 'Well, you know, you got your guys here and there and this and that, and you got your rotation.' But now people are seeing what I was saying about Paul. And you know who's really upset? Nick Nurse and the Philadelphia 76ers. They let him go," he added.
Reed was originally the Philadelphia 76ers' 58th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft out of DePaul. He signed a two-way deal with the Sixers and split time between the main team and their G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats. Reed won both Rookie of the Year and MVP honors in 2021 and saw the 76ers convert his contract to a standard NBA deal.
However, after four seasons in Philly, the Sixers chose to waive Reed in the summer of 2024 to clear cap space to sign free agent Caleb Martin, who went on to sign a four-year $32 million deal. The Pistons picked up Reed, and two years later, it's turning out to be a genius move.
For four years, Reed was Embiid's backup center in Philly. Now, the Sixers are thin in that position after Ariel Hukporti suffered an Achilles injury in preseason. Likewise, reserves Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker are also hurt, leaving Adam Bona as the only other center on the team.
Meanwhile, Martin was traded for Quentin Grimes, whom the Sixers did not bring back this year after acquiring Jaylen Brown and LeBron James. Philly brought in James for leadership, championship experience, and playmaking. But when Embiid rested against the Pistons a couple of games back, James was forced to start at center because they had nobody else left. Looking back, the five spot wouldn't have been a problem right now if they had not given away Reed.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Oct 30, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
