The Minnesota Timberwolves are starting two of the best big men in the NBA. The man behind them isn’t too shabby either.
Timberwolves center Naz Reid was named NBA Sixth Man of the Year on Wednesday, the first player in franchise history to receive the honor. Reid defeated finalists Malik Monk of the Sacramento Kings and Bobby Portis of the Milwaukee Bucks.
The margin between Reid and Monk was razor thin: Reid received 45 of the 100 first-place votes, while Monk received 43 votes. They both received the same number of votes in second and third place, leaving Reid behind only 10 points ahead for the award. Portis, Norman Powell of the Los Angeles Clippers and Bogdan Bogdanovic were all awarded first place.
The award recognizes an impressive rise for Reid, who is only the third undrafted player to win the award in its history (John Starks in 1996-97 and Darrell Armstrong 1998-99). The 24-year-old was a five-star recruit who performed well as a freshman at LSU, but concerns about his height (6-foot-1) and athleticism, plus a rough draft combination, left him undrafted. 2019 NBA Draft.
Reid landed with the Timberwolves as an undrafted free agent and immediately became a productive player as a rookie. He may look and move like a prototypical big man, but his 41.4% shooting percentage from three-point range made him a valuable asset off the bench this season.
Reid played most of the season behind All-Stars Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns, starting just 14 games after Towns went down with an injury. With that trio controlling the paint, the Timberwolves posted their second-best record in franchise history at 56-26 and finished third in the Western Conference in the regular season.
Tyrese Maxey of the Philadelphia 76ers took home the top Most Improved Player award on Tuesday. Clutch Player of the Year will be announced Thursday and Coach of the Year on Sunday, while Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and MVP will be announced later.
