It brings me no joy to write the words I’m about to type. The Paul Bunyan of the Target Center — two words: Naz Reid — looks utterly lost on the court through the Minnesota Timberwolves’ first eight games of the season. The Timberwolves’ folk hero transformed himself from an overweight, undrafted afterthought into the Sixth Man of the Year. He has his own towel, and his name adorns hundreds of Wolves fans’ bodies in ink.
Naz Reid signed a five-year, $125 million contract in the offseason to ensure one of the most beloved players in franchise history stays in Minnesota for most of his career. Reid turned 26 over the summer and looked to be a massive piece returning from a team that reached back-to-back conference finals for the first time in franchise history.
But through eight games, he’s looked like a shell of his former sixth man self and is at least part of the reason why the Wolves are off to a mildly disappointing 4-4 start.
It’s only eight games, and Reid lost his sister, Toraya, in September. He’s likely still grieving. However, evaluating him strictly on performance, Naz Reid is averaging 11.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists while shooting 36.1 percent from deep in just 22.9 minutes per game.
On the surface, those numbers don’t look too horrific. It would be his fewest minutes, points, and worst three-point shooting since he was Minnesota’s ninth man when they won 42 games in 2022-23. He looks like he’s reverted to his younger self, a super-gifted offensive player who is lacking the confidence to consistently live up to his hype.
Reid barely made an impact in the season opener. He scored six points and missed the only three he took in Minnesota’s 118-114 win against the Portland Trail Blazers. Reid played six minutes in the second half, and Chris Finch essentially benched him for the fourth quarter to give the Wolves their best chance to come from behind and steal a win.
He went 2-9 for five points in Minnesota’s first loss against the Los Angeles Lakers. Reid finally got things going with 16 points against the Indiana Pacers and 18 points against the Denver Nuggets. Then a 2-10, five-point dude in the second game against the Lakers. 18 points and 21 points in wins against the Charlotte Hornets and Brooklyn Nets. And most recently, five points in a disappearing act in the loss to the New York Knicks.
He doesn’t seem to be playing with confidence. Reid’s shot has no juice, and you might as well close your eyes any time he attempts to dribble or, God forbid, drive to the basket. Perhaps it’s taking him some time to find his role in the offense with Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle playing at an All-Star level and Jaden McDaniels’ rise as a secondary scorer.
Still, his offense struggles aren’t even the worst part of the Naz Reid experience. He looks completely and utterly lost on defense. Whenever the Wolves sub out Rudy Gobert for Naz Reid, you can almost guarantee the opponent will attack Naz as early and often as possible. Opponents are constantly blowing by him on the perimeter. He’s frequently out of position in the paint. Reid is a step slow on rotations and is playing flat-footed, especially next to Julius Randle.
The defense plummets when Naz is on the court. Minnesota’s defensive rating is 119.4 on the season. When Naz is on the court, it’s 123.5; when he’s on the bench, it’s 114.2. That doesn’t fully encapsulate Naz Reid’s singular defensive deficiencies — the Timberwolves rank 27th in defense two weeks into the season. Naz Reid has never been known for his defense, but he at least used to compete. He was the secret weapon covering Nikola Jokic in the 2024 playoffs and has become a decent shot blocker and post defender.
All is not lost with Naz Reid. It’s only eight games, and in all likelihood, he’ll be back to bombing threes and energizing the Target Center crowd in no time. The upcoming schedule is very generous to the Timberwolves. They played the Utah Jazz and Sacramento Kings twice before another matchup with the Nuggets. Naz and the Timberwolves will have every opportunity to get things right before Thanksgiving.
For those who would rather worry about it, this isn’t the first time Naz Reid has played some underwhelming basketball since becoming a star in Minnesota. Last year’s playoff run was not Naz Reid’s finest hour. He averaged 10.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.7 assists across 15 playoff games. The Oklahoma City Thunder fully bottled him up in the Western Conference Finals, averaging 9.2 points while shooting 4-18 from three in the swift 4-1 defeat to the eventual champs.
Hopefully, it’s just a slow start to the season, and Naz Reid will be back to his usual self in no time. Naz Reid has spent his entire career proving people wrong and constantly improving his game. It’s been a slow start, but he’s still the Naz Reid we know and love.
