When the Minnesota Timberwolves signed Naz Reid following the 2019 NBA Draft, I don’t believe they expected to find a long-term rotational big man. But if Reid continues to progress, that could be exactly what they end up with.
Naz Reid, this past season, was largely inconsistent. But when he was good, he was really good, displaying a good mix of perimeter skills while also being able to score down low. In 70 appearances this season, Reid averaged 11 points, five rebounds, and one assist per game on shooting splits of 52/35/69.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Naz Reid has pivotal season ahead
The main thing that sticks with Reid is his positioning when he does not have the ball. For most bigs, they tend to stick in the dunker’s spot since they do not have much range. But Reid allows others guards to drive to the rim given his natural spacing and feel for the game – like Anthony Edwards, the player whom he played the most minutes alongside this past season.
That doesn’t mean that Reid does not have flaws, though. He can protect the rim at times, but really struggles to switch onto power forwards and does not stick on the perimeter at all defensively. Off-ball, he’s just bad. Reid’s defensive awareness in that respect needs improvement if he wants to become a true two-way player.
Naz Reid has one year left on his contract before he becomes a restricted free agent. This season could be his year to secure a long-term deal, with either the Timberwolves or a different team. Reid, still only 21 years old, has lots of potential, but needs to gain some consistency in order to earn that second contract.
As of right now, there are not any other players under contract for this coming season that would compete with Reid for minutes.