Minnesota Timberwolves: Naz Reid is an interesting young piece

The Minnesota Timberwolves got lucky when Naz Reid decided to sign with them after going undrafted in the 2019 NBA Draft. Reid has been an interesting modern center prospect – and could be an interesting offensive fit moving forward.

Minnesota Timberwolves: Naz Reid is an interesting young, long-term piece

Naz Reid has often gotten a large bulk of minutes when Karl-Anthony Towns has gone out of the lineup (injury, COVID, etc). In roughly 20 minutes per game, Reid averaged 11 points, five rebounds, and one assist per game on shooting splits of 52/35/69.

Moving forward, his main progression is going to have to come defensively. Reid often can be a really nice piece offensively (and that replaces a lot of what KAT brings night-to-night), but Reid is often displaced on defense, is a poor rim defender, and cannot switch at a high level. If he is able to improve at any one of those defensive skills, his role for a Timberwolves team that is looking to make a playoff push in the future could become more defined.

Reid has two years remaining on his contract – worth about $3.5 million. He is already well-worth that price tag – but whether Reid earns a second contract is up to how he furthers his progression. Even if Reid does not get better offensively, he has a unique skill set that should be playable for most games, and is a mismatch nightmare for most backup bigs.

There is a very real chance that Reid could become a consistent, high-level big man for the Timberwolves, even as they look to progress past their current standing in the NBA as a low-level Western Conference team.

Reid’s modern skills should excel alongside players such as Anthony Edwards, healthy D’Angelo Russell, and even Karl-Anthony Towns in certain packages. The Timberwolves got very lucky when Reid decided to sign in Minnesota after going undrafted – and his progression will be interesting to watch.