The Minnesota Timberwolves have hovered around .500 during this tough December schedule of games without Karl-Anthony Towns. They’re also missing other key players like Jordan McLaughlin and Taurean Prince. Even Rudy Gobert has missed a few games. Still, the Wolves have done about as good of a job as they can to stay afloat.
Through the 13 games since KAT went down at the end of November against the Washington Wizards, the Wolves have maintained close to a .500 record (6-7). Minnesota is currently the 11th seed in the Western Conference, still battling it out with teams like the Utah Jazz, Golden State Warriors, and Oklahoma City Thunder for a play-in spot. A 6-7 record is average by most NBA team standards, but this is better than even some Wolves fans might have expected the team to play. They have been ravaged by injuries this month and have had a poor start to the season.
A large credit has to go to the players who have largely stepped up for the Wolves while shorthanded. Anthony Edwards has taken a significant step as a pseudo-point guard, and players like Jaden McDaniels and D’Angelo Russell have also played up to the level that many fans had hoped for entering this season.
However, Naz Reid’s emergence may be the biggest surprise. With the injury to KAT and a couple of games in which Gobert didn’t play this month, Reid has taken the opportunity to showcase himself as a versatile and valuable big man.
Naz played sparsely in the 15 games where KAT and Gobert were healthy. He averaged only 7.6 points per game, 2.5 rebounds per game, and was completely out of the rotation during some games. Depending on the matchup, it occasionally was difficult for Chris Finch to find playing time for him with Minnesota’s loaded frontcourt.
Reid has stepped up in the 13 games since KAT went down, though. He’s averaging 13.7 points per game, and 7.9 rebounds on efficient shooting splits of 61.3% from the field and 40% from three.
Reid has also had a couple of monster games during this 13-game stretch that arguably have been some of the best nights in his NBA career thus far. Against OKC on December 16th, Naz put up 28 points, 9 rebounds, and shot 3-5 from deep, helping the Wolves win that night. Reid had another big game against the Dallas Mavericks on December 19th, with 27 points and 13 rebounds. Perhaps just as impressive? Naz only committed two fouls in 40 minutes of playing time that night. By staying out of foul trouble, Reid could play most of the game for the Wolves and help lead them to victory against the Mavs.
When Reid is on the court, he offers the Wolves a skillset as a big man closer to KAT than Gobert. Naz has a good handle on the ball for a player his size, makes quick decisions on set plays, and can stretch the floor. Reid provides the team with some needed offensive versatility that Gobert cannot offer.
Almost nobody would go as far as to say that Reid offers more defensively than Gobert does. However, Naz’s defensive abilities and impact on that side of the floor for this team don’t take too much of a drop-off compared to Gobert. So far this season, Naz has a defensive rating of 110.4, averaging 0.5 steals and 1 block per game. In comparison, Gobert has a defensive rating of 109.6 while averaging 0.8 steals and 1.2 blocks per game. Reid has agility for his size, can switch on screens, and defend well at the rim. He is also more than capable of being a plus-defender when he is on the floor, which is evident with Minnesota’s play during this month.
However, the Wolves have to consider Reid’s contract situation. Naz is currently in the last year of the 4-year, $6.1 million contract he signed with the Wolves after going undrafted in 2019. He is set to make $1.9 million this year and be an unrestricted free agent after this season.
Tim Connelly and Minnesota’s front office have $360 million invested in Towns and Gobert. Therefore, they have a tough decision on whether or not they re-sign Naz.
With the Wolves also having to make decisions on extensions with DLo and Jaylen Nowell, they may be unable to afford a big extension for Reid. That is unless the Wolves are willing to pay the luxury tax for the foreseeable future, which is something we aren’t too sure if Wolves’ ownership is willing to do at this point. In most cases, owners in the league are more willing to go over the luxury tax if the team has consistently been a title contender and made deep playoff runs, as they believe the payoff outweighs the luxury tax in those cases. However, for the Wolves, it is just not too clear whether or not the team, as currently constructed, is a true contender in the stacked Western Conference.
Looking at their allocated cap space to their already contracted players and considering any new potential contracts for free agents next summer, the Wolves could likely offer Reid anywhere between $8 to 12 million a year if they seek to extend him. However, Reid could potentially get more from a different team with more cap space.
However, the contract in itself likely won’t be the only factor. For Reid, this month of basketball has served as an opportunity for him to be more of a focal point at center. That’s any young player’s purest desire as they try to establish themselves in this league. Reid, 23, has shown continuous improvement through these last four years and has rightfully earned his way to a more prominent role on an NBA team.
Ultimately, Reid may find better opportunities elsewhere. With KAT and Gobert taking up most of the frontcourt minutes when both are healthy, it leaves Naz in an unfavorable position to maximize his development and recognition as a big man in the league.
For this reason, the Wolves could look to trade Naz before this year’s trade deadline (February 9th at 2:00 PM CT). Some fans will be sad to potentially see Naz go one day this season. However, he could be a valuable trade piece for the Wolves to regain some draft capital or get players that help them meet other needs.
Regardless of what transpires, Naz has played well when more was asked of him this season. He’s undoubtedly earning his way to either a big payday or a new opportunity with another team that could utilize him more and allows him to reach his fullest potential. Now we just have to wait and see how Naz continues to progress playing for this team while KAT remains out and what the foreseeable future will look like for one of Minnesota’s homegrown players.
