Rising star Anthony Edwards has been the cornerstone of the Minnesota Timberwolves on both ends of the floor, with more NBA analysts and observers taking notice of his work. Naz Reid joined the growing chorus of praises for his teammate, whose work ethic he has experienced up close.
Edwards has been gaining more admirers due to his hard work on the floor, earning him glowing comparisons to Michael Jordan. This season, Edwards has been showing off his amazing two-way play on the offensive and defensive end that pushed the Timberwolves to a top-three finish in a highly competitive Western Conference. Fans have taken notice.
Anthony Edwards' intensity rubbing off on Naz Reid
Naz Reid gave glowing marks for his Timberwolves teammate Anthony Edwards, saying his leadership by example has raised the team's performance. Reid also noted that Edwards' excitement on the floor rubbed off on him and boosted his confidence, via The Old Man and The Three podcast with JJ Redick and Tommy Alter.
“The stuff that he says, it just builds your confidence as his teammate,” Reid said. “It's just like you make a shot, he's all in your face like with excitement. Like you miss a shot, he's still in your face with excitement. So I think for him, he's just a confidence booster,”
“[H]e's fearless and it makes you fearless and you’re going at guys who are all-star, top guys in the league,” Reid continued. “So it's just like the way he goes about his every day swag or whatever the case may be, like it builds your confidence and he’s trying to get you to be better each and every way.”
Reid also commended Rudy Gobert, who made him embrace the team's defensive-minded approach to the game and changed his once stubborn mind on playing defense.
“I used to hate playing defense,” admitted Reid. “Now, I embrace it…I like to make the guy in front of me uncomfortable. I want him to feel my presence. I want him to know I'm here.”
“You need defense [to win] and that's our identity. So it's exciting and you get a rush from getting that stop.”
Naz Reid uses off-the-bench experience to make impact on the floor
Naz Reid had to fight for his place on the Timberwolves squad, after going undrafted in 2019 and going through their NBA G-League affiliate Iowa Wolves. His experience of having to work his way up the ladder taught him how to pick apart the game and learn how he would make his presence felt on the floor once his number gets called.
“I get a chance to see how the game is going [from the bench], I get to see how the [referee is] calling the game,” Reid said. “I just get a feel and I'm able to impact the game in any way, shape, or form…I get a chance to analyze the game from that aspect.”
This season, Reid started in 14 of his career-high 81 games. He had per-game averages of 13.5 points on 47.7% shooting with 5.2 rebounds on 24.2 minutes on the floor. In the playoffs so far, Reid averaged 11.3 points on 44.4% from the field, with 2.8 rebounds in 20.9 minutes on the floor.
The Timberwolves are leading their best-of-seven NBA Playoffs series against defending champion Denver Nuggets, 2-0. They are looking to go up 3-0 in their second round matchup at home on Friday, May 10, at 9:30 p.m. ET.
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