Player exit review: Willie Reed makes big strides
By Simon Smith
An unknown coming into the season, Willie Reed made his presence felt this year with the Miami Heat.
In the space of 12 months, Willie Reed has progressed from relative unknown to a highly valued free agent center.
With a grand total of 39 career games with the Brooklyn Nets, Reed signed with the Miami Heat for the minimum last summer with no real expectations, both internally and externally. But due to the continued absence of Josh McRoberts, and the sparing use of veteran team stalwart Udonis Haslem, Reed was thrust into an important role as the backup for starting center Hassan Whiteside.
Over 71 games, the undrafted Reed averaged 5.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in 14.5 minutes per game. In his five appearances as a starter, Reed posted 14.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. At 6-foot-11, Reed’s athleticism, work ethic and ability to finish around the rim make him a terrific compliment in the modern-day NBA.
In the midst of the season, head coach Erik Spoelstra showered praise on Reed’s contributions:
"“Every single day…all he does is work with Juwan (Howard) to try to get better, work at his craft to earn his minutes, earn his opportunities. And what he always has had is the effort and the motor. But him working at other things now makes him more skilled on both ends of the court.”"
The words ‘effort’ and ‘motor’ certainly fit the Heat culture to a tee. The problem moving forward, however, will be the price tag attached to retain his services.