After two 10-day contracts with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Cameron Reynolds has reportedly signed a multi-year deal to stay with the team.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have had a onslaught of injuries this season.
It’s gotten to the point that even Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns, two of Minnesota’s healthiest players over the past few years, have each missed games.
Robert Covington, Derrick Rose, Tyus Jones, Jeff Teague and a few others have had their fair share of injuries, too. Covington’s has been the most significant and the likelihood of him returning this seasons seems dimmer by the day.
These injuries have derailed the team’s season about as much as one would expect. The Jimmy Butler and Tom Thibodeau fiasco certainly didn’t help matters, either, of course, but Ryan Saunders has found ways to win a few games through his connection with the players and his ability to mix-and-match numerous lineup combinations.
Cameron Reynolds was signed to an initial 10-day contract a couple of weeks ago due to the of the lack of depth caused through injuries.
Saunders has given Reynolds the opportunity to play minutes in their recent stretch of games and the undrafted rookie has rewarded him. Remember, a team is only allowed to give a player a maximum of two 10-day contracts. If they wish to retain that player, they must re-sign him for the rest of the season.
And the Wolves did exactly that. It was reported on Friday afternoon that the team had signed him to a multi-year deal.
The Minnesota Timberwolves and forward Cam Reynolds have agreed to terms on a multiyear contract, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Reynolds‘ second 10-day was set to expire next week.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 15, 2019
Reynolds is a rookie this season and spent five seasons at Tulane University due to an injury that knocked him out in his sophomore season. Standing in at 6′-8″ and 225 pounds, his greatest quality is shooting the ball. Which has been evidently clear through college, the G League and now with Minnesota.
In his final season at Tulane, he averaged 15.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.6 blocks per game. He shot the ball 40.8 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from 3-point range. His best season was during his 2016-17 campaign, but his final two years were a success, nonetheless.
He also spent some time in the G League for the Stockton Kings and showed off his ability to score and shoot the ball. He averaged 16 points per game on 45.9 percent from the field and 41.9 percent from 3-point range on 7.1 attempts per contest.
Minnesota hasn’t been a good 3-point shooting team for quite some time now. They currently sit 25th in the NBA in 3-pointers attempted with 28.5 attempts per game. They also shoot only 34.9 percent from downtown, only good for 19th.
The Timberwolves need to do a better job from beyond the arc because it’ll space the floor and allow them to have a better offense. Reynolds can and will help in that department. He’s only appeared in five games for Minnesota so far, but the 23-year-old has done a good job in that time.
He’s playing 14.8 minutes per game and averaging 4.3 points, 1.0 rebounds and 0.7 steals per game. The numbers don’t jump out, but he’s been a great help when it comes to spacing the floor as he’s hitting at a 37.5 percent clip from beyond the arc.
Before his 1-for-5 effort in Utah on Thursday night, his previous three games gave some hints that he may break out in some way. He’s put together defensive stops and he looks more comfortable. In the TNT game against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, the former Tulane star put up 12 points on 4-of-7 from 3-point range.
Minnesota needs depth, they need help from long-range and it looks like this young player has some sort of future in Minnesota.