Naz Reid and Jaylen Nowell continue to make the most of their time with the Iowa Wolves.
The duo combined for 37 points on 15 of 25 shooting, 18 rebounds and nine assists in Iowa’s 118-103 win over Capital City Go-Go on Thursday night.
Reid, the undrafted 20-year-old center from LSU who initially signed a two-way contract with the Timberwolves before after earning a full-time contract with the team after his Summer League brilliance, notched 19 points after shooting 8-for-10 from the field and a stellar 3-for-4 from 3-point range. The 6’9” center added 12 rebounds and four assists to his double-double performance and recorded a game-high plus-18 plus-minus rating. Plus, he’s just one of those entertaining players who constantly reminds us why we love the game of basketball.
Nowell, the Timberwolves’ 2019 second-round draft pick, added 18 points after shooting 7-for-15 from the field and hitting three of his seven 3-point attempts. He also contributed seven rebounds and six assists.
Thursday night’s success was nothing new for Reid and Nowell.
Reid is currently averaging 19.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.8 blocks per game after appearing in 13 G League games this season. He’s shooting an impressive 51.4% from the field and 61.6% from the restricted area, but his craftiness and ability to play along the perimeter are just as impressive as his explosiveness in the paint. Reid is shooting 38.8% from beyond the arc and leads all centers who’ve played at least 10 G League games in 3PA per game (5.2) and assists (2.9).
Iowa has turned to Nowell as its go-to scorer now that former leading scorer Keita Bates-Diop is playing full-time with the Timberwolves, and the former Washington guard has not disappointed. Nowell leads the Wolves in points per game (21.3) and is still shooting 50.0% from the field. He’s one of only six G League players to have played at least 10 games in the league and average 20 or more points per game on 50% shooting or better.
Plus, Nowell is living up to his draft season hype of being a premiere outside shooter. He’s the only G League player who’s played at least 15 games and maintained a 3P% above 44% while attempting at least six 3-pointers per game. In addition, he’s shooting a team-high 81.5% from the free-throw line.
The amount of opportunity Reid and Nowell will receive in the NBA this season is still uncertain, but if their promise continues to grow, Timberwolves fans should be excited about what these two 20-year-olds could provide their team in the future.