Minnesota Timberwolves
Naz Reid
The obvious breakout star candidate for the Timberwolves will be No. 1 draft pick Anthony Edwards, but I’m fascinated to see the sophomore season of backup center Naz Reid.
The 6-foot 10 center out of LSU was a slam-dunk first-round talent leading up to last year’s draft, but he slipped down to the second round once word got around about his horrendous conditioning metrics at the combine. He came into the league weighing almost 260 pounds with 14 percent body fat on him – Reid looked more like an offensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings than he did an NBA player.
Guys who weigh greater than 260 pounds don’t tend to stay healthy too long in today’s NBA (See Demarcus Cousins and Nikola Pekovic) and that was what worried most evaluators with Reid.
Despite those glaring red flags, Reid showed that he could be a long-term player in the league. In his brief appearances last year, Reid excelled by averaging 6.5 points per game while having three double-doubles. Additionally, the team was +4.9 points when he was on the floor last season, which is encouraging considering rookies usually are negative +/- players.
Naz Reid will likely be the exclusive backup to Karl-Anthony Towns, but if he can demonstrate improved physicality and offensive acumen, Ryan Saunders might have to get creative and find more playing time for him. Reid’s long-term success in the league will depend on his skill-set but also on how closely he buys into the NBA nutrition and conditioning system.