A new chapter in Naz Reid's story from undrafted big man out of LSU to highly impactful NBA player.
Reed was named NBA Sixth Man of the Year, beating Malik Monk of the Kings by just two votes in a historic close contest. Reed finished with his 352 points and Monk with his 342 points. The only difference between the two was his two first-place votes from his 100-person media committee with ballots (his second-place and his third-place votes for Monk and Reed were at all It was the same). Bobby Portis of the Bucks came in a distant third place.
“His contributions to this year's team were a major reason for our team's success,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said of Reed in a statement. “His growth this season and his attention to detail in improving his game in the offseason were key factors in Nas becoming the best reserve man in the NBA.”
Mr. Monk, who was the favorite to win, was dissatisfied.
Monk too Retweeted some posts He made his case for winning the award.
Reid is the team's third big, along with Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns, who are likely to win Defensive Player of the Year. Reed's versatility and ability to play either way helped his cause. Reid averaged 13.5 points and 5.2 assists per game this season, and when he was on the court, the Timberwolves outscored opponents by 5.9 points per 100 possessions.
Reed's case gained momentum when Towns went down with a knee injury late in the season and Reed was thrust into the starting lineup for 14 games, averaging 17.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in his new role. Many voters thought the sixth-man case shouldn't get much attention because Reid was a starter, but they didn't really care that Reid won the award.
Reid is the first Timberwolves player to win this award. He is also the third center in history to win the Sixth Man award, joining Bill Walton (1986) and Montrezl Harrell (2020).
