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Brooklyn Nets Should Get Willie Reed More Minutes

By Kenneth Teape

Dec 23, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets power forward Willie Reed (33) tosses his shoe to the bench after it fell off during play against the Dallas Mavericks during the second quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 23, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets power forward Willie Reed (33) tosses his shoe to the bench after it fell off during play against the Dallas Mavericks during the second quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Brooklyn Nets could use a spark in the front court off the bench, and Willie Reed should be given the chance to provide one.

The Brooklyn Nets have had a poor season thus far with a 10-23 record even with their surprising victory over the Boston Celtics on Saturday night. One of the problems that the Nets have is that they have very little depth in the front court behind starting center Brook Lopez and power forward Thaddeus Young.

There isn’t many options for head coach Lionel Hollins to turn to on the roster, but one person that he should be giving minutes to is Willie Reed. Reed earned a spot on the team after playing with the Nets in the Summer League and throughout training camp, and it is about time he starts getting some consistent minutes in the regular season as well.

The 25-year old has taken a long path to the NBA, leaving St. Louis University after his 2009-2010 sophomore season. Reed averaged 12.4 and 7.9 rebounds per game that season, but got very little attention from leagues here in the United States. He broke into the D-League starting in the 2012-13 season through 2014-15 season, averaging 15.3 points and 9.9 rebounds per game.

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He has turned that into a chance with the Nets, and is trying to make the most of his opportunity. Reed didn’t make his career debut until December 4th, but had a strong outing against the New York Knicks, scoring eight points with four rebounds in 11 minutes. That started a stretch of 13 out of 14 games, including today against the Celtics, that Reed has seen minutes on the court.

The minutes have not been extensive, as 13 minutes played is his career high, a mark he has hit against the Philadelphia 76ers and Chicago Bulls. That is a number that should increase in the coming days, as the Nets do not seem to be going anywhere anytime soon and they could really use some help behind Lopez and Young.

Reed isn’t blowing people away with his current stats, averaging 4.5 points and 2.6 rebounds in only 9.0 minutes per game. But, his per 36 minute stats are impressive, as he averages 18.5 points and 10.5 rebounds with 2.8 blocks. He will not get 36 minutes per game with Lopez and Young entrenched in the starting lineup, but there is definitely some talent there that the Nets should take advantage of using.

Reed plays with a lot of energy on the court and is a good compliment next to either Lopez or Young as he has the size to play center and athleticism to play power forward. He has already jumped over Thomas Robinson in the rotation, as Robinson hasn’t received significant minutes since early in December.

The only other player standing in the way of Reed and legitimate minutes off the bench is Andrea Bargnani, and it is only a matter of time until he goes down with an injury again. At that time, Reed will have an opportunity to showcase his talent even more, and should cement his spot in the rotation with the Nets.

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He should already be getting minutes in the low teens right now, as the Nets need to find a spark up front to help out Lopez and Young. Reed could be that spark and give the Nets much needed production off the bench in the front court.

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