By Jon Krawczynski, Anthony Slater and Tobias Bass
Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid has been named the 2024 NBA Sixth Man of the Year.the league announced Wednesday.
Reid received 45 first place votes and 352 total points, narrowly beating the Sacramento Kings Guard Malik Monk, who received 43 first place votes and 342 total points. Milwaukee Dollars forward Bobby Portis Jr. – the third runner-up – received five first-place votes and a total of 81 points.
Reid played In 81 games this season to start 14, the most of the three finalists.
Complete voting results for the 2023-24 Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year. pic.twitter.com/wfP9hbqTOQ
-NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 24, 2024
The 6-foot-9 center becomes the third undrafted player to win the award, joining John Starks (1997) and Darrell Armstrong (1999). Reid, 24, averaged 13.5 points, 5.2 rebounds And 1.3 assists in 24.2 minutes per game while scoring 1,090 total points.
He is the first player in franchise history to win this award. Wally Szczerbiak (one in 2004-05) and LaPhonso Ellis (10 in 2000-01) are the only other players in team history to earn the top spot for Sixth Man of the Year.
Reid shot 47.7 percent from the field and 41.4 percent from 3 as the Timberwolves went 56-26, finishing third in the Western Conference.
What this means for Reid
Reid has made no secret of his desire to win the award throughout the season. He has embraced this role fully, taking pride in injecting energy and skill into the second unit when he steps in. He plays on one of the greatest teams in the NBA, and it would have been understandable if Reid is looking to head elsewhere in search of a bigger role after the Wolves traded for Rudy Gobert last season to team Karl-Anthony Towns in the frontcourt.
There was no immediate path to a starting point, but Reid stayed put. He signed a three-year, $42 million extension last summer and has been worth every penny spent this season. His ability to play defense alongside Towns or Gobert, and sometimes with both, helped unlock this unique roster construction.
The Timberwolves’ victory this season validated Reid’s decision to stay where his career began. He now has material to demonstrate. For a player who went undrafted by LSU in 2019, this is a remarkable increase. — Jon Krawczynski, Timberwolves senior writer
Reid’s arrival
This isn’t just a win for Reid. This is a win for the Timberwolves organization and the market. Reid is one of the best player development stories in team history. He arrived as a doughy but gifted big man, but it was unclear whether he had a place in the NBA. Some thought he was too tall to play as a power forward and too small to play center. Reid reshaped his body, losing weight and becoming quicker on his feet. He paired that with an incredible handle and deft shooting touch to make him a matchup nightmare.
He started 14 straight games after Towns suffered a knee injury and posted solid numbers to ensure the Wolves remained near the top of the Western Conference. Reid is the definition of a sixth man: he can step into the starting lineup when a significant portion of the team is injured. —Krawczynski
Spread the love
Reid will surely celebrate the award, but Timberwolves fans could be even more excited. Watching him blossom from an unknown name in 2019 to a force in the second unit has made Reid extremely popular in Minnesota. Rare is the example in Timberwolves history of the franchise discovering a diamond in the rough that no other team has seen and polishing that diamond into the type of gemstone that belongs in a crown.
Reid is probably neck and neck with Anthony Edwards when it comes to public approval notes in Minnesota. The team gave away a beach towel at a game this spring, and it became so coveted that it costs $100 and is available on eBay. Every time he enters the game, Target Center’s energy increases. His name has become an overarching mission statement for fans, a greeting, a congratulation, an agreement.
“Hi.” Naz Reid. ” Nice victory. » Naz Reid. “Wolves really exist.” Naz Reid. — Krawczynski
Was Monk snubbed?
He will surely think so. Monk has been campaigning for the award for about a month and last week asked members of the media if they had voted for him.
He was a heavy favorite in March, but Luka Dončić fell to one knee and sprained his MCL, ending his season with a handful of games remaining. Here’s the harsh reality for Monk and the Kings: This injury likely robbed him of the award (check out the slim voting margin) and had a significant impact on their playoff hopes.
Monk said during exit interviews if he wasn’t injured they would be playing right now. Regardless, he will have a strong free agent market this summer. The Kings can offer Monk a maximum of four years and around $78 million and there are concerns an outside suitor could extend a long-term offer beyond that. — Anthony Slater, Warriors senior writer
Required reading
(Photo: David Sherman/Getty Images)