In basketball, the sixth man of a team is very important, because he comes in and has the ability to change the tenor of a game while giving his team whatever it needs after watching how a game has unfolded from the bench.
The finalists for this year’s Sixth Man of the Year award in the NBA were Malik Monk of the Sacramento Kings, the Milwaukee Bucks’ Bobby Portis, and Naz Reid from the Minnesota Timberwolves.
On Wednesday, it was announced that Reid had won the award, per NBA on ESPN.
Naz Reid has been named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year 🏆 pic.twitter.com/Tav8juzQlT
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 24, 2024
Reid, who is in his fifth season in the pros, has been a valuable piece for a rising Timberwolves team, but this has been his best season yet.
He averaged 13.5 points and 5.2 rebounds a game while shooting 41.4 percent from 3-point range, all of which were career highs, during the regular season, and he filled in for Karl-Anthony Towns in the starting lineup when Towns was injured recently.
The 6-foot-9 big man can play both power forward and center, and he has also become an effective defender over the years.
Minnesota, who had lost in the first round of the playoffs as a low seed in both of the last two seasons, took a big step forward this year by finishing with the third seed in the Western Conference.
In recent days, they have taken another step forward by taking a 2-0 series lead in their first-round playoff matchup versus the star-studded Phoenix Suns.
Minnesota has gotten the job done with defense, as they finished first in defensive rating during the regular season, and Reid has been a big part of their success.
NEXT:
Rudy Gobert Reveals Why He Thinks Players Criticize Him