Less than 30 seconds into Naz Reid’s first stint against the Charlotte Hornets last week, he canned his first shot attempt – a catch-and-shoot three-pointer from the top of the key. It was ho-hum because Reid has developed a unique skill of making his first shot attempt, usually in the first two minutes of his shift.
It’s a niche positive that fans can easily overlook, but it helped Reid win the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award last season. Bench players must make the most of their minutes to have a consistent role in the NBA. When their number gets called off the bench, they swipe their hands across the chalk on the scorer’s table and are immediately expected to make an impact regardless of outside factors.
Reid has always excelled at that.
The Minnesota Timberwolves were trailing by six when Chris Finch subbed Reid in with 6:25 minutes left in the first quarter against the Hornets. Charlotte punched Minnesota in the mouth out of the gate, exposing their transition defense. It was not a good look after the San Antonio Spurs routed the Wolves 113-103 two days prior.
Reid played 15-straight minutes in his first stint. The Wolves outscored the Hornets by 18 points during that prolonged stretch, and Naz registered 11 points, two assists, and six assists. When he took a seat with 3:41 left in the second quarter, Minnesota had a 52-40 lead.
“They continually get us kick-started into the game,” Finch said when a reporter asked about the bench’s production against Charlotte. “Our bench has been huge. I am lucky. I have eight starters, so I am spoiled by choice.”
Reid has fought for all the minutes Finch has given him in his career. That’s part of the reason Wolves fans cheer so loud when he checks into games at Target Center. They watched him go from a player who rode the bench to an integral part of a championship-contending team.
He has always conducted business gracefully in Minnesota. Two summers ago, Reid turned down more money and a larger role during free agency to stay with the Wolves despite being behind Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns on the depth chart.
Naz could have left, and nobody would have blamed him. However, he cares about the fans who cheer so loudly for him. Reid remained patient and trusted the process. Now, he is settling into a defined role and putting his stake into the ground as a pillar of consistency for the team that took a chance on him out of LSU in 2020.
Reid finished with a game-high 25 points against the Hornets. He shot 9 of 13 (69.2%) from the floor and 5 of 7 (71.4%) from deep. Naz was also a +33 in 22 minutes. Still, he wasn’t content with his performance after leading Minnesota to a 114-93 win.
“It starts with tonight,” Reid explained when a reporter asked if the next step to his game is consistency. “I’m not saying that I played badly, but not enough for my standard and our team’s standard.”
Ten games into the season, the Wolves have struggled to find a consistent identity. Last year, Minnesota’s identity was undeniably its defense, which ranked No. 1 league-wide. However, Finch and the Wolves’ coaching staff are trying to figure out the team they want to be. They have shown glimpses of elite-level offense and defense but haven’t been able to put both things together for a full 48 minutes for multiple games in a row.
It isn’t surprising that the players and coaches need time to get on the same page after Minnesota’s blockbuster trade that sent Towns to the New York Knicks four days before training camp. It’s a long process that Reid is making much smoother in the first definitive role of his NBA career.
“It’s just playing the same brand of basketball,” Reid explained on media day when a reporter asked him if his role would change without KAT. “We are similar, so being me, doing what I do best, going out there and competing like I have been doing. Nothing changes for me.”
The full version of Naz came into focus last season after many years of tirelessly working to improve his game and body. Until this season, change has defined his career. Reid is still adapting to changes in 2024-25 but isn’t altering how he plays.
Last year, Reid was almost exclusively a power forward. 79% of his minutes came at the four, playing next to Rudy Gobert or Towns, while 20% were at center. However, after replacing Towns with Julius Randle – a traditional power forward – Finch has asked Reid to slide over to center more often. Through Minnesota’s first ten games, he’s played 56% of his minutes at the five.
“When I am at the four, I am in the corners and in the actions a little bit less,” Reid told reporters during practice on Oct. 31. “When I am at the five, I am kind of quarterbacking the offense, whether in delay, going second-side out, or picking and popping or rolling.”
Whether Reid is at the four or five, most of his looks are off-ball. He molded himself into one of Minnesota’s most reliable shooters last season, and that trend has continued this year.
Reid is shooting 46.3% on 4.6 three-point attempts per game. He’s attempted 48 total threes this season, 43 of which have been catch-and-shoot, where he is shooting 48.8%. One of Finch’s most lethal plays is having Gobert set an away-from-the-play screen to generate an open catch-and-shoot opportunity for Reid.
According to Synergy, Naz is scoring 1.83 points per possession off screens through 10 games, ranking third in the NBA. “Off-screen” stats are generated by players running off a screen before catching the ball. Reid is the only big man in the top five in PPP off screens.
He wasn’t even in the top 50 last season.
The Wolves placed confidence in Reid after trading Towns to have the cap space to keep Naz around after he could hit free agency this summer. They lost their best three-point shooter by moving on from KAT. Still, Reid has blossomed into a fixture of Minnesota’s offense by being unproblematic and playing the way he has for years – mitigating the three-point shooting hole Towns leaves behind.
Reid’s minutes were uncertain for the last three years. His role changed every night. Sometimes, he wasn’t even in the rotation. Still, he always found ways to succeed in the face of adversity. Reid’s role is now solidified in Minnesota as its third-leading scorer, but he is still navigating different positions and thriving in chaos.
We saw it again Sunday night against the Miami Heat. Reid finished with 15 points on 5 of 11 from the floor and 4 of 7 from deep. Remove Naz’s stat line, and the Wolves as a team shot 9 of 38 (23.7%) from three-point range. Minnesota fell 96-95 against Miami, but not because of Naz. He gave the Wolves a constant flow of energy on a night when nobody else could.
Reid will continue to work on his game – defense is still a point of growth – but we are seeing the fruits of his labor finally come to light this season. Naz thrives in chaos, an on-court skill invaluable for bench players. However, he has always given Minnesota reason to believe in him during off-court chaos. Everything is now coming together for the fan favorite. The Wolves rewarded Reid’s career-long commitment to growth with a larger role, and he’s responding by being a constant during a season full of inconsistency.
