The Minnesota Timberwolves are highly likely to finish as the sixth seed in the Western Conference. With the Phoenix Suns three games behind them with four games to go, Minnesota’s magic number is two to clinch a playoff berth and avoid the Play-In Tournament. The Wolves are also three games out of fifth, behind the Houston Rockets.
Now on a 3-game losing streak, hopefully Tuesday will be a get-right outing against the tanking Indiana Pacers. With how long his struggles have been going on, and his injury problems it's an ideal time to give Naz Reid some time to rest.
Reid has really struggled since March
With Anthony Edwards missing his eighth outing of the last 10 games in Sunday’s loss to the Charlotte Hornets, it was known that more than one player would have to step up to overcome the missing scoring output Ant-Man provides. For much of the time Edwards has been sidelined, Reid has not been one of those players.
The 26-year-old had another subpar shooting performance against Charlotte, going just 3-of-14 from the field, missing all four of his 3-point tries, and finishing with just six points. Naz would miss his first 6 shot attempts before finally connecting on a layup with less than two minutes to go in the first half.
Particularly since the calendar has turned to March, the Wolves haven’t seen anything close to the Naz Reid that has been one of the most productive reserves in the league (2023-24 Sixth Man of the Year) and became a huge fan favorite for his effort. In his last 16 outings, Reid has shooting marks of just 38.0 percent from the field and 23.0 percent from beyond the arc.
In only five of those 16 contests has Reid shot at least 50 percent from the field. That’s something he accomplished in 30 of his first 59 appearances. Since March, Naz has only three outings where he has made more than one 3-pointer. That’s something he was able to do 40 times before March began.
Reid's nagging injuries makes resting him a no-brainer
Everyone wants to see Naz get out of this slump. Reid has clearly been dealing with some type of shoulder issue for a while now. After their loss to the Detroit Pistons last Thursday, Reid told Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic,
“I’m dealing with some injuries and just trying to make things happen. Just trying to compete at a high level and do what I can do.”
It’s admirable that Naz has played through the shoulder ailment (and likely an ankle injury as well). He has only missed three games all season. The Indiana game seems like a perfect time to give him a much-needed game off.
With the Timberwolves so close to being locked into the sixth seed, perhaps Tuesday shouldn’t be the only game that Reid sits out. The Timberwolves need him at his best come playoff time and giving him a few games off feels essential.