Minnesota Timberwolves: Naz Reid Shares Awesome Reaction for Being Named 6th Man of the Year

“It’s special. It’s one of a kind. It’s something that you, obviously, dream of growing up, especially at the highest level in the NBA. I mean, they’ve seen me work from day one. Since the moment I’ve gotten here, I’ve changed my body, my mentality, and the direction I wanted to go in life. I think they kind of deserve that. Being with me, that’s super special,” Naz Reid said.

Naz Reid won the award over favorite Malik Monk by a slim margin, receiving 45 first-place votes, 39 second-place votes, and 10 third-place votes for 352 points (compared to Monk’s 342 points).

The former LSU standout also became the sixth player in NBA history to win the award before turning 25 , joining Ben Gordon, Tyler Herro, James Harden, Roy Tarpley, and Leandro Barbosa.

Naz Reid deserved to win the award

Naz Reid was instrumental in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ rise to the top of the Western Conference this year, as he averaged 13.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game on 41.4 percent shooting from three-point range, all career-highs, in 81 games during the regular season. 

When Karl-Anthony Towns went down with a knee injury in March, Reid stepped up in his absence, and he posted norms of 17.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per contest in 17 games to make sure that the Minnesota Timberwolves didn’t skip a beat.

Against the Phoenix Suns in this year’s playoffs, the former undrafted big man is averaging 8.5 points per game in 18 minutes off the bench as a backup behind Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert.