Paul Reed is back in the Sixers’ rotation, but will his opportunity be short-lived?

Paul Reed did not have a big conversation with coach Doc Rivers about his reinsertion into the 76ers’ rotation as backup center. But the third-year big man has gotten increased opportunity in the last week, including when he scored six points on 3-of-5 shooting and added three rebounds, three blocks, and two steals Monday in his team’s rout of the Houston Rockets.

“I told [Rivers] I’m staying ready despite the adversity I was facing,” Reed said after the game. “I guess he respected that. … I love to compete. It can get frustrating and it’s a lot of pressure, but I feel like, a dude like me, pressure always brings the best out of me.”

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Rivers said recently it was time to shift playing time to Reed, after Montrezl Harrell had been the backup center for the bulk of the last two months. But Harrell got pulled mid-shift in a Feb. 5 loss at the New York Knicks after recording a minus-15 in three minutes. Reed was then the backup in Friday’s rematch against the Knicks, a 119-108 Sixers win.

Reed’s playing-time window could be short-lived, however, after the Sixers signed more traditional center Dewayne Dedmon, off the buyout/waived market Tuesday to compete for the spot behind MVP contender Joel Embiid. In the meantime, Reed has aimed to remind why he has been a tantalizing young player and fan favorite because of his ranginess, rebounding, and activity on both ends of the floor.

Consistency in the game’s nuances has always been where Reed most needed to grow. He said he has been working on when and on which side to set screens to give the ballhandler the best driving lane, along with defensive coverages and “making sure I’m in the right places.”

“Just little things like that make a big difference when I’m out there on the court,” Reed said.

Reed also likes the potential of sharing the court with trade-deadline acquisition Jalen McDaniels, another rangy defender who has played with Reed in the second unit the last two games.

“It definitely makes it difficult for the opposing team to do anything, for real,” Reed said. “… I think it’s a big addition.”

Reserve swingman Furkan Korkmaz remains away from the Sixers for personal reasons.

Korkmaz has traveled back home to Turkey, which is dealing with the devastating aftermath following the earthquakes in the country and nearby Syria on Feb. 6. As of Tuesday, the death toll had risen to more than 41,000.

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Starting forward P.J. Tucker, meanwhile, is listed as probable to play Wednesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers, after leaving Monday’s win over the Rockets in the first half with right calf tightness. Rivers said after the game that keeping Tucker off the floor was mostly precautionary.