76ers backup center Paul Reed has called out Anthony Davis ahead of the Lakers-Sixers matchup on Monday night.
As the backup center for Joel Embiid, Reed will be tasked with guarding Davis in the game when Embiid is off the court.
At shootaround on Monday morning, Reed threw shade on Davis for his flopping and explained how he needs to make sure he doesn’t get in foul trouble because of it.
“He’s a big flopper, so make sure that I don’t get in foul trouble early,” Reed said, via Austin Krell. “Can’t be too aggressive with him. You know, he’s gonna be flailing. So, gotta make sure that I stay out of foul trouble.”
Reed only averages 13.4 minutes per game, so for him to actually end up in foul trouble would be a little surprising. It would seem as though he is using his words as a tactic before the contest.
The funny thing is, Reed is teammates with one of the most renowned floppers in the league – Embiid.
The reigning MVP has the highest number of free throw attempts in the league (11.7) by a huge margin, since the next player on the list is Kevin Durant, who only attempts 8.5 per night.
Davis comes in at 5.9 FTA per game, which ranks him 28th in the league.
While his teammate LeBron James attempts 6.1, which puts him at 15th in the league.
AD shot seven free throws in his 32-point game against the Cavaliers and is filling the stat sheet nicely, as he averages 22.1 points, 12.1 rebounds and 2.9 blocks while shooting 54.9 percent from the field each night.
The eight-time All-Star is currently listed as probable for Monday’s game due to a hip issue.
So it’s likely that AD will play against the Sixers, and could just have a little bit of extra motivation after Reed’s comments.
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