The dream starting 5 for Minnesota Timberwolves 5 years from now

Starting at power forward for the Minnesota Timberwolves: Naz Reid

Age in 2028: 29

Comparison: Karl-Anthony Towns

When the Minnesota Timberwolves persuaded young center and power forward Naz Reid to return to the team with a new contract extension, it was not an act of charity. Timberwolves center and power forward Naz Reid is a big body banging in the paint for rebounds and shots.

While he continues to serve as a vital big frontcourt body off the Minnesota Timberwolves bench, there are reasons to expect his role to expand for the team this season. He has been very important as he has been elevated to a starting role whenever Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert are unable to go.  Now, he has progressed to a point to earn playing time on his own merits.

During the 2022-23 NBA season, Reid averaged just 18.4 MPG but put up 11.5 PPG and 4.9 RPG as a result. On a 36-minute-per-game basis, Reid averages over 20+ PPG and 9.5+ RPG. That is pretty impressive for a bench player and is why he insisted on a larger role in the future.

Even though his best work is in the paint, Reid has a sneaky effective perimeter shot, scoring 34.8 percent of his attempts from long-range last season. As he plays even more minutes at power forward this season, look for that to improve. He has a real opportunity to be an NBA All-Star someday. I, for one, hope that happens. After all, he is a homegrown Timberwolves hero.