Naz Reid, who helped the Timberwolves overcome an injury to Karl-Anthony Towns to have one of the best seasons in franchise history, was voted the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year.
Reid edged Sacramento’s Malik Monk to become the third undrafted player to win the award for the league’s best reserve. Reid averaged career highs of 13.5 points and 5.2 rebounds in 81 games.
Naz Reid was having a productive season as a reserve when the Minnesota Timberwolves needed him in the starting lineup while playing without All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns.
Reid was excellent in that role, too. But the forward-center came off the bench 67 times, getting a feel for the game in the early minutes before getting his chance to impact it.
“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,” Reid said in an interview on TNT after the award was announced. “Either we got to have the mentality to come back in the game, or to push the lead forward.”
The 6-foot-9 Reid helped the Timberwolves do that plenty of times en route to a 56-26 record to earn the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. The Wolves currently hold a 2-0 lead over the Phoenix Suns in their first-round series.
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 Reid a total of 352 points to Monk’s 342.
Milwaukee’s Bobby Portis Jr. finished third. Norman Powell of the Clippers was fourth and Atlanta’s Bogdan Bogdanovic rounded out the top five.
Reid was undrafted out of LSU in 2019, originally joining the Timberwolves with a two-way contract that summer. The fan favorite played his way into a multiyear contract extension last summer, then rewarded the Wolves this season with 843 points off the bench, second-most in franchise history.
He twice reached 30 points and had 20 or more 14 times, both career bests, and said the award was special for the fans who have supported him since the beginning of his career.
“They’ve seen me work from Day 1. Since the moment I got here I changed my body, I changed my mentality, I changed the direction I wanted to go in life,” Reid said. “I think they kind of deserve that and I think just being with me, that’s super special.”
Reid joined John Starks (1996-97) and Darrell Armstrong (1999) as undrafted players to win the Sixth Man award, named for Celtics Hall of Famer John Havlicek.
GAME THREE FRIDAY
Minnesota Timberwolves (56-26, third in the Western Conference) vs. Phoenix Suns (49-33, sixth in the Western Conference)
Phoenix; Friday, 9:30 p.m. (Central)
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK: LINE Suns -4; over/under is 206.5
BOTTOM LINE: The Minnesota Timberwolves visit the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference first round with a 2-0 lead in the series. The Timberwolves won the last meeting 105-93 on April 23 led by 25 points from Jaden McDaniels, while Devin Booker scored 20 points for the Suns.
The Suns are 29-23 in Western Conference games. Phoenix is 18-6 when it has fewer turnovers than its opponents and averages 14.1 turnovers per game.
The Timberwolves are 37-15 in Western Conference play. Minnesota ranks seventh in the Western Conference scoring 50.8 points per game in the paint led by Anthony Edwards averaging 10.7.
The Suns make 49.3% of their shots from the field this season, which is 4.3 percentage points higher than the Timberwolves have allowed to their opponents (45.0%). The Timberwolves are shooting 48.5% from the field, 2.1% higher than the 46.4% the Suns’ opponents have shot this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Booker is averaging 27.1 points and 6.9 assists for the Suns. Kevin Durant is averaging 23.4 points over the last 10 games.
Edwards is averaging 25.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists for the Timberwolves. Rudy Gobert is averaging 15.5 points over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Suns: 6-4, averaging 108.5 points, 40.7 rebounds, 25.4 assists, 9.4 steals and 4.6 blocks per game while shooting 46.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 106.3 points per game.
Timberwolves: 7-3, averaging 113.7 points, 42.9 rebounds, 27.1 assists, 9.8 steals and 5.6 blocks per game while shooting 48.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 106.1 points.
INJURIES: Suns: Damion Lee: out (knee), Grayson Allen: day to day (ankle).
Timberwolves: Jaylen Clark: out (achilles), Kyle Anderson: day to day (hip).
The Associated Press contributed to this story.