Though the Minnesota Timberwolves season ended with an emphatic series defeat at the hands of the eventual NBA champions, the Denver Nuggets, there was a bit for them to take out of the season. One of those things was the rapid improvement of Naz Reid, who demonstrated over the back half of the season that he certainly has what it takes to be a valuable NBA player.

Originally undrafted in 2019, Reid is an undersized center who hasn't averaged more than 20 minutes per game in any of his four seasons in the league. The early parts of this season were tracking on a similar route to his previous three 20 or so games in, but a breakout 28-point night against the Oklahoma City Thunder was followed up by 27 points against the Dallas Mavericks two games later. A quieter period of games ensued, but after the All-Star break he came back a different player and put together the best stretch of his career.

A 30-9-3-5-2 statline against the Golden State Warriors was perhaps the best game of his career, demonstrating what he's capable of at the level. After the All-Star break, Reid averaged 16.1 points on 55.6% shooting and hit 38.7% of his threes, well up on the 10.2 points per game he averaged prior to the All-Star break.

He might not be a superstar, but suddenly Naz Reid looks like a pretty valuable piece, and one the Timberwolves would do well to hold onto. Heading into NBA free agency, however, Reid's not sure where his future lies.

“I definitely would love to stay back in Minnesota, for sure. But it's a business and everything has to play out for both parties.”

With the Timberwolves pretty well-stocked in the big man department at the time of writing, it's easy to see why Naz Reid might look for more opportunities elsewhere. The above comments, however, suggest he's pretty unequivocal in his desire to stay. The only question that remains, then, is whether the Timberwolves want to keep him.