Naz Reid is balancing out his scoring volatility in the best way possible

For the third straight season, Naz Reid is seen as one of the best bench players in the league. The 26-year-old was named Sixth Man of the Year in 2023-24, finished fifth last season, and he is in the running again for the award this year.

Much of Reid’s production comes from his ability to score from both inside and outside. Quietly, though, Naz is averaging career-bests nearly across the board in his numbers outside of scoring in what is now his seventh NBA season. 

Naz Reid is still playing a large role even with his scoring down

Also, for the third straight year, Reid has rarely missed any time for the Timberwolves. He has only missed three games this season, the same amount he missed in the previous two years combined.

The scoring and shooting numbers from Reid have been down a bit since the calendar turned to February, but the undrafted big man has found other ways to make his mark. That is something that Naz has done all season, regardless of how many points he has put on the board.

This year, Reid is averaging 6.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.0 steals. Every single one of those averages is his career-best. What makes that even more impressive is that it has come in a season where he is not also averaging a career-high in minutes (averaged 1.4 more per game in 2024-25).

Naz’s 138 ‘stocks’ (steals plus blocks) through 70 games is already a career-high despite him having three earlier seasons where he played more than 70 contests. Naz's previous high came in his Sixth Man of the Year season when he finished with 136 in 81 games.

For a long while, Reid did much of the heavy lifting off the bench for the Timberwolves as they struggled to find a second reliable reserve. He doesn’t need to do as much of that with Bones Hyland continuing to be an ascending player and with the team acquiring Ayo Dosunmu (also re-adding Kyle Anderson in the buyout market).

Saturday will be a game in which the Timberwolves will likely need more scoring from Naz. Facing off with the Eastern Conference's top seed in the Detroit Pistons for the first time this season, Minnesota will be without Anthony Edwards, Ayo Dosunmu, and Jaden McDaniels. It might be an ideal time for Reid to have his first 20+ point outing since February 20.