After the briefest of stays last fall playing in Italy, Reynolds is a rookie point guard for the Springfield Armor in the NBA Development League, and he's been told what part of his game needs developing.
Earlier this season, Reynolds asked his D-League coach, former Boston Celtics guard Dee Brown, what NBA scouts were saying about him.
Brown told him: "Be more of a facilitator.''
Reynolds has always excelled at the transition game. So now he's in the biggest one of his career. His first couple of seasons at Villanova, Reynolds had to score for the Cats to win, and that always remained his mind-set.
"I haven't done this a lot," Reynolds said before practicing on Thursday. "That's what's so fun about this. I get to do something I've never really done on a consistent basis. That's a challenge, and it's also fun, because I think everybody knows I can score."
Think like a quarterback
In an empty gym, before Thursday's 6 p.m. team practice, Reynolds worked alone with Brown, who had texted Reynolds earlier that day: "Yo, make sure you're dressed and ready at 5:15."
Brown reinforced the message, telling Reynolds how he had to think like a quarterback, seeing a defense as a QB would, with different levels - "Line of scrimmage, then linebackers. . . . Blitz or not? You've always got to be playing two steps ahead. 'Who's helping? Am I shooting, driving? Who's hot?' "
Brown isn't asking Reynolds to put away his own offensive arsenal. Most of that individual workout was spent with the coach, the 1991 NBA slam-dunk champion and still in shape, flying out at him. Brown had Reynolds executing a quick rip move, one dribble, "shoulders square," then a jumper. The jumpers almost all fell, a reminder of what skills Reynolds already has.
