After tough months of February and March, where Naz Reid saw his on-court production take a dip below what it normally is, he might now be facing a steep uphill battle to obtain his second Sixth Man of the Year award after being a favorite to win it just a few weeks ago.
Naz started the season off really strongly. He averaged 14.1 points on 47.1 percent shooting in November and followed that up with an even better December, when his averages rose to 15.4 points on a still-respectable 43.8 percent shooting. Then came January, when he had his best month of the year, averaging 16 points on a blistering 53.6 percent from the field and 47.4 percent from 3-point range.
Unfortunately for Naz, this is where his season peaked, as the last two months haven't been kind to him.
His play has dipped lately -- but it isn't entirely his fault
The last two months, his averages are down to 11 points on 42.1% from the field and 25.8% from 3-point land.
Much of this is due to a shoulder injury he's been playing through for a while that continues to linger. He's re-aggravated it numerous times, but it's clear he wants to continue soldiering through it rather than add another body to the Timberwolves' injury report.
Another reason for this dip in production is simply because the Timberwolves' bench doesn't need him to carry them every single night like they did during the beginning of the season.
Bones Hyland has emerged as a real scoring jolt for this team lately, and acquiring Ayo Dosunmu at the deadline has given the bench another guy who is capable of scoring 15 points a night.
Naz Reid is also facing some stiff competition for the award
The two biggest threats to the award, who now look like they've likely overtaken Naz, are Keldon Johnson from the San Antonio Spurs and Jaime Jaquez Jr. from the Miami Heat.
Keldon was a 20-point-per-game scorer for the Spurs during their days of tanking. However, since they became a formidable team in the Western Conference, he's taken a backseat and excelled at his role as the energy guy off their bench. He's currently putting up 13 points per game on 53.3 percent shooting.
Jaquez has been a bright spot for the Heat after having a major sophomore slump last season. He's doing it all off their bench as a scorer, facilitator, and versatile defender. He's currently averaging 15 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game. If the season ended today, he would probably be my pick to win the award.
Reid's chances certainly aren't off the table, and if he closes the season on a great run, he could put himself right back in the top. Regardless, between his lingering injury and down shooting splits, it might be too little too late to win the award.