21 January 2024
Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) drives to the basket against Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid (11) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Naz Reid was again an offensive sparkplug for the Timberwolves in Saturday’s 102-97 home loss to Oklahoma City.
The reserve center made four 3-point shots to power his 18-point performance, again serving as Minnesota’s needed juice off the bench.
But more important was what he did on the other end of the floor. Oklahoma City’s small lineup — with former Minnehaha Academy star Chet Holmgren at the center and no one else who remotely qualifies as even a power forward — causes a lot of matchup issues for the Timberwolves.
The Wolves’ matchups to start a possession are funky, to put it mildly. And then Oklahoma City runs actions that forces the Wolves to switch matchups, oftentimes getting Thunder star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander into a preferred situation.
For instance, when Gilgeous-Alexander was switched onto the slower-footed Karl-Anthony Towns, he often took advantage by generating an open look or getting to the free-throw line. That was often the case late in the game, as Gilgeous-Alexander scored 11 points over the final 6 minutes, 15 seconds.
Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said that wasn’t the first time this season that opponents have tried to take advantage of Towns on the defensive end.
“Teams have been doing it all season long,” Finch said. “They’ve put him in action, they’ve put him in pick and roll and recovered. Yeah, it’s been something we’ve been dealing with all season long.”
Which is a sacrifice you make when you play two big men as Minnesota does with Towns and Rudy Gobert. But exploiting the Wolves in those scenarios is swiftly becoming far less successful when Naz Reid is in the game.
Minnesota’s third big man is proving increasingly adept at defending anyone on the floor, especially on the perimeter. Gilgeous-Alexander attacked Reid four consecutive times on switches in the third quarter. He went 1 for 4 on those attempts, with the lone “make” coming in the form of an awfully close goaltending call as Reid swatted the shot away at the rim.
“It’s one of the things he has really worked on, sitting down being able to guard,” Finch said. “He’s very quick, athletic. His anticipation skills are better than they’ve ever been. His footwork is better.”
Reid has grown “very confident” in those situations where he guards perimeter players in one-on-one matchups. He said he prefers those situations than guarding bigger centers who use their girth to gain position down low.
“I feel comfortable at it,” Reid said. “I’m looking for those type of black-up (switching) situations nowadays.”
Which is a major asset for the Timberwolves. Because there are situations when it’s not advantageous for Towns to be on the floor for defensive purposes. In the past, Kyle Anderson has been a defensive solution for when Minnesota has issues matching up with an opponent. That still holds true, but Reid could be an answer in which the Wolves can solve defensive issues, while also sacrificing little to none on the offensive end.
And Reid is still more than capable of defending at the rim. He long has been a lethal shot blocker, and he swatted away four more attempts Saturday.
Depending on Minnesota’s future playoff matchups, Reid could prove vital to the Timberwolves’ chances of advancement.
“He’s pretty important to us no matter what,” Finch said. “But he does give us some defensive flexibility out there, so that’s really good.”
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