Sixers center Paul Reed has no plans of trash-talking Giannis Antetokounmpo: ‘I have to just hoop’
While mostly joking, Reed was serious about not giving his opponents any ammunition.
The 76ers’ season is shrouded in uncertainty, but one guarantee headed into Thursday’s season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks is that Paul Reed won’t talk trash to Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Sixers’ backup center blocked Antetokoumpo’s shot the first time he played significant minutes against the two-time MVP.
“And I was talking crazy to him a little bit,” Reed said. “Then he came back and hit me with the shoulder Euro-step dunk. I was like, ‘Let me never talk [smack] … I can never talk trash, again. I have to just hoop.’”
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Reed doesn’t want to give his opponents, especially Antetokounmpo, ammunition. To him, that’s the equivalent of talking trash to reigning MVP Joel Embiid at practice.
“You know, I just have to chill sometimes,” he said.
But facing the Bucks forward is an assignment Reed lives for.
“Knowing that I’m about to compete against him and actually do good lets me know a lot about myself,” he said. “I’m not just anybody. I feel like I’ve got a chip on my shoulder. When I match up against Giannis, I keep that same chip.”
The fourth-year player averaged career highs of 4.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 10.9 minutes last season. He averaged 3.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 10 minutes in four games against Milwaukee last season.
Sixers re-sign Council
The Sixers waived two-way center Ąžuolas Tubelis to create a vacant two-way spot they used to re-sign Ricky Council IV on Wednesday.
This comes five days after Council was released so the Sixers could convert Javonte Smart’s Exhibit 10 deal to a two-way contract. Council averaged 3.3 points and 2.5 rebounds during limited action in three preseason games.
Council was the 2022 American Athletic Conference sixth man of the year at Wichita State before transferring to Arkansas, where he was named second-team All-Southeastern Conference. He originally signed his two-way deal with the Sixers on July 1 after he was not selected in June’s draft.
NBA teams can carry three two-way players in addition to 15 players on standard contracts.