UPDATE: 6/26
Reed now plans to play for the Miami Heat after the Pacers went big with their first-round pick in Thursday’s draft. The Pacers drafted 7-foot center Myles Turner with the 11th overall pick and thus Reed chose another opportunity where he may have a better chance of showing what he can do.
Turner is expected to get a big chunk of the playing time down in Orlando. In addition to giving players currently under contract an place to perform and develop, Summer League more than anything is an opportunity for players to impress executives around the league in hopes of being brought to training camp.
Summer league with @MiamiHEAT this summer.. Excited and blessed to have this opportunity! #PraiseGod #Blessed
— Willie Reed (@ShowtimeReed33) June 26, 2015
Willie Reed will play on the Pacers’ Summer League team in July for the second straight summer. He confirmed reports Wednesday with a post on Instagram, which has since been taken down:
“Almost time for summer league. I’m so blessed.. I’m Excited for the opportunity.”
10 teams play five games each in the Orlando Summer League, which runs July 4th to the 10th.
Reed, who went undrafted in 2011, is an intriguing player for the Pacers. Following the evolution of the NBA, the Pacers want to play smaller and faster next season, as the Golden State Warriors best demonstrated en route to the 2015 NBA Title.
The Pacers may need to add a few big men. Roy Hibbert has a player option (but is expected to stay), as does David West; Lavoy Allen and Luis Scola are both free agents; Backup center Ian Mahinmi is under contract for one more year (at $4 million).
[Whittington to participate in Pacers free agent/rookie camp, Summer League]
This past season, Reed played 48 games in the NBA’s Developmental League — stops in Grand Rapids and Iowa — and he was very productive. He named to the D-League All-Star team and scored 13 points. The 6-foot-10, 210-pound forward averaged 16.4 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game. He also shot 60 perecent from the floor.
For his outstanding play all season, Reed was named First Team All D-League and First Team All-Defense.
And, at 25, he’s still young.
Reed played in two preseason games with the Brooklyn Nets last fall.
Highlights from Reed’s Summer League play in 2014: