Naz Reid is one of the players who has made tremendous progress this season, and that has been recognized by the NBA.
It’s been a fantastic season for the Minnesota Timberwolves. The team finished the regular season in third place with a record of 56 wins and 26 losses, and they are currently performing excellently in the playoffs, leading 2-0 against the Phoenix Suns. A significant contributor to all of this has been Naz Reid, who stepped up significantly after Karl-Anthony Towns’ injury.
Reid was rewarded with the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year on Wednesday, edging Sacramento’s Malik Monk in a close vote to become the third undrafted player to win the award for the league’s best reserve.
He averaged career highs of 13.5 points and 5.2 rebounds in 81 games this season. The big man came off the bench 67 times. Reid got 45 first-place votes to 43 for Monk from a panel of 99 reporters and broadcasters who cover the league. Both players had 39 second-place votes and 10 third-place votes, giving Minnesota Timberwolves player a total of 352 points to Monk’s 342.
“I kind of joke around with my teammates a little bit, but it’s kind of a saying where I feel like we have to keep the momentum going, anyway. Either we got to have the mentality to come back in the game, or to push the lead forward“, Reid said in an interview on TNT after the award was announced.