Over the past several seasons, Naz Reid has been one of the NBA's best sixth men. Notably, Reid won the Sixth Man of the Year award in the 2023-24 season. Heading into the 2025-26 season, Reid will, in all likelihood, remain in this sixth-man role. Regardless, the Minnesota Timberwolves' big man could play an increased role and see a slight bump from his 27.5 minutes per game average last season.
Reid earned a five-year $125 million contract this summer. While Reid is one of the most impactful bench players, that's a lot of money to pay for a sixth man. He already played starter-level minutes and impacted the game at an elite level, but I think his role will be even more vital this season. Furthermore, with Rudy Gobert turning 33 this summer, it's fair to expect a slight decline in his 33.2 minutes per game. Conversely, Reid turned 26 this offseason, meaning he is just entering his prime.
All of the stars are aligning for Reid to have a bigger role this season.
Reid's impact has never been more important
Reid already saw an increase in minutes last season, going from 24.2 to 27.5 per game. It's fair to expect this trend to continue given his contract and Gobert's age.
During Tuesday's preseason game against the Indiana Pacers, Reid earned the starting spot alongside Gobert and Julius Randle, with Jaden McDaniels sidelined. This triple big lineup played under 10 minutes together last season, and it's silly to think we'll see a ton of this pairing during the regular season. Nevertheless, it's fair to expect we'll see this lineup play a bit more together.
My perspective on starting Reid is that head coach Chris Finch wants to experiment with this group more, and he wanted to send a message about Reid's importance.
Reid's rare blend of shot-creation, 3-point shooting, and playmaking makes him an incredibly valuable role player with a game that fits next to anyone on the team. This skill set will be even more important as Gobert's offense appears to be declining.
Last season, he posted impressive averages of 14.2 points, 6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists on 46.2/37.9/77.6 shooting splits. His 14.2 points per game ranked third on the team behind Anthony Edwards and Randle. For the past two seasons, Reid has been the Wolves' third option offensively. It's reasonable to expect that this trend continues once again.
On a Wolves team that lacks secondary creation and playmaking, Reid's role will never be more crucial. Ultimately, all signs point to Reid getting more minutes and responsibilities with the Wolves this season.