Naz Reid

Ananth Pandian

After getting praised by one of the greats, Naz Reid is now ready to learn from the greats.

Reid recently appeared on the "Outta Pocket" podcast and talked everything Naz Reid-related including his thoughts on teammates Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns, LeBron James showing him love on Twitter and his desire to train with Hakeem Olajuwon and Shaquille O'Neal.

Here's everything you need to know about Reid's appearance on the "Outta Pocket" podcast:

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James recently took to Twitter to compliment Naz Reid's skill set and overall game. Reid was asked about LeBron's praise and this is what he said:

"That's a feeling you want growing up if you're in the sport of basketball or any sport if somebody that great notifying that your game is special. It's definitely a special feeling," Reid said. "I came into the league undrafted so I'm trying to get recognized. For one of the highest, if not the highest right now, to notice is a special feeling."&nbsp;

Naz Reid on desire to train with Hakeem Olajuwon and Shaquille O'Neal

Reid was asked if there were any former players he would like to work out with. For Reid, the answer was simple — Hall of Fame big men Hakeem Olajuwon and Shaquille O'Neal.

"Just with the footwork," Reid said about Olajuwon. "A guy who is coordinated, is able to move his feet, can score at the rim at will, Dream Shake. If not him, most likely Shaq...the dominance."

Reid went to LSU, the same college Shaq attended, and has talked to the Hall of Famer before because he's friends with O'Neal's son Shareef. But Reid also noted that he hasn't had any in-depth discussions about basketball with O'Neal.

On the podcast, Reid talked highly about his teammate Anthony Edwards:

"Ant, man, he's special, he's different," Reid said. "And that's on and off the court. He's him no matter what situation he's in. He's gonna smile. He's gonna impress you in so many different ways. To see him come into his own, he's in his third year now, in such a quick time is crazy. I've been with him all three of his years and each year has been a step towards growth. He's gonna be a great leader on this team."

Reid also showed a great appreciation for another teammate — Karl-Anthony Towns:

"If you watch the games, he's talking to me, telling me what he sees [from the bench] and giving me his perspective," Reid said. "He's [always] boosting my confidence. KAT's a great player. When you see him on the court, he's doing stuff that you're not supposed to be doing at that size and like shooting it crazy from three. We play a lot of shooting games after practice and I cannot beat this man. It makes me mad. I think I only beat him maybe a couple times. But it gets me competitive."

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Naz Reid appreciates LeBron James' praise, wants to train with Hakeem & Shaq

Here in Minnesota, we already know that Naz Reid is Naz Reid. But now thanks to LeBron James, the entire world knows.

Reid caught James' attention during Minnesota's 108-101 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday. It was a typical Naz Reid game, filled with explosive dunks, like this one:

Reid finished the game as the Wolves' leading scorer off the bench with 12 points. In just 18 minutes, he shot 66.6 percent from the field (FG: 4-for-6) and got to the line seven times (FT: 4-of-7).

Reid's game was so nice that James had to give him props on Twitter:

Of course, James did misspell Reid's name. But perhaps that's just because he was so excited to watch Naz cook and typed too fast.

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Lakers' LeBron James Has High Praise For Naz Reid's Game

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Gallery | Timberwolves Open Practice Facility For Voluntary Workouts

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The summer of team building continued on Monday for Ryan Saunders’ Timberwolves squad. 

Saunders, along with Jaylen Nowell, Naz Reid and Jordan Murphy, stopped by Vikings training camp in Eagan. 

Lindsey Young over at Vikings.com did a great job of capturing the trip. We’re not trying to steal any of her thunder. Make sure to read her full piece from the visit here. 

My favorite part from the visit was when Vikings coach Mike Zimmer met the players, most notably Reid. 

Saunders: “You want to put (Reid) under center? He said he can throw.”

Saunders: “He used to play quarterback.”

Zimmer: “We’re gonna run some sneaks for you.”

You can see Zimmer’s face light up during this exchange.

Fourth-and-goal. Vikings from the 1-yard line. Bradbury snaps to Naz Reid, Reid plows through the five defenders and carries three into the endzone and . . . VIKINGS TOUCHDOWN! 

The Legend of Naz Reid continues to grow.

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The Legend Of Naz Reid Continued At Vikings Training Camp

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Gallery | Jarrett Culver, Jaylen Nowell & Naz Reid Press Conference

On Thursday, the Timberwolves announced they signed center Naz Reid.

But Kyle, didn’t they already do that? 

Well, yes, they did. Before Summer League, the Wolves signed Reid to a two-way contract. 

After Summer League, it was pretty obvious Reid was going to end up being an NBA-caliber player sooner rather than later. 

He became a Wolves Twitter celebrity with his spin moves, soft handle, range from the 3-point line, and that was all before he did this to the Nets’ starting center on their actual NBA team. 

Reid’s play was a huge takeaway for the Wolves in Summer League. The former McDonald’s All-American averaged 11.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 0.7 blocks in just 18.6 minutes per game (Reid was dealing with a minor foot injury). Doing some quick math, that equates to about 23 points, 10 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.0 block per 36 minutes. 

The new contract Reid signed is a multi-year contract that will void his previous two-way contract. This means Reid will be a full-time member of the Timberwolves and will have no restrictions when it comes to being around the team, unlike being a two-way player in which he could have only be around the team for 45 days (both games and practices). 

It also opens up a two-way contract for the Wolves to use on another player.

This is an opportunity that Reid didn’t see coming but was also something that was somewhat in the back of his mind. Before the team left for Las Vegas, Reid admitted that the fact that the Wolves showed so much interest in him was something that meant a lot to him. But he didn’t know his decision to sign with them would come to fruition so quickly.  

“I wasn’t sure,” Reid said of earning a guaranteed contract. “I just tried to play to the best of my abilities. Do things that I can do and more right than wrong. I just tried to put myself in (a good situation) and help the team out in a lot of ways I could. I’m blessed to have this opportunity this soon. I’m excited and I’m ready to get to work. 

He’s excited, and he should be. And you’re excited, and you should be, too! This is a player who somehow went undrafted and the Wolves were lucky enough (and remember, luck comes with preparation) to sign Reid immediately after the draft.

“We identified a player who went undrafted, who we considered a valuable drafted player as far as our board and to be able to bring him into the program, evaluate him, see him play in our style, see how productive and talented he is, we were very fortunate,” Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Gersson Rosas said. 

Reid is 19 years old and just oozes potential. With his ability as an offensive playmaker, he certainly deserves an opportunity at the NBA level. Not many big men can see the court, dribble and shoot like Reid can. Being around the team’s coaching staff for the full season will help Reid immensely, and let’s not ignore the fact that he’ll be practicing with and against Karl-Anthony Towns. 

Now, to pump the brakes a bit because sometimes (yes, even in July), we have to be realistic with expectations.

Reid isn’t going to come in and be a Day 1 rotational player. He’s 19 years old and he has a lot to learn. When Summer League head coach Pablo Prigioni described Reid in Las Vegas, he described him and as a great development project for the franchise. While he won’t be a two-way player, we’ll still likely see him get plenty of time in Iowa this upcoming season to get him some real-game experience with the Iowa Wolves. 

Thursday’s press conference was supposed to have four chairs for Rosas, Jarrett Culver, Jaylen Nowell and Ryan Saunders.

When people saw the fifth chair there was some curiosity, but after learning of Reid’s attendance and his new deal, it didn’t come as a surprise at all.  

What a month of July it’s been for Reid. The journey doesn’t stop here, though, and you get the sense Reid has a lot to prove. 

“I just want to thank the Timberwolves for believing in me when nobody else did. You guys see the potential I have and the upside I have and the chip on my shoulder. I just want to win. . . I’m going to do whatever I can to help this team win.” 

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Hop On The Naz Reid Bandwagon While There's Still Room

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Minneapolis/St. Paul – Minnesota Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Gersson Rosas announced the team has signed center Naz Reid to a multi-year contract. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not released.

Reid, 19, played for the Timberwolves entry in the 2019 MGM Resorts NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, averaging 11.9 points and 5.4 rebounds in 18.6 minutes in seven games. He recorded 15 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in the Wolves’ 90-87 win over Miami on July 10 and had a team-high 20 points in Minnesota’s semifinal win over Brooklyn on July 14.

The 6-10 center appeared in 34 games as a freshman for Louisiana State in 2018-19, averaging 13.6 points and a team-high 7.2 rebounds in 27.2 minutes. He was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team after leading the Tigers to the SEC regular-season championship and a Sweet 16 berth. Reid, 6-10, tallied 26 points and 14 rebounds against Florida in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. He scored a career-high 29 points against UNC Greensboro on November 9, 2018 and Mississippi State on February 6, 2019. 

A five-star recruit out of Roselle Catholic High School in Roselle, New Jersey, Reid led his team to the Non-Public B state title, scoring the winning points on an alley-oop dunk with 6.3 seconds to play. Reid participated in the 2018 McDonald’s All-Star Game, scoring 15 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.

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Timberwolves Sign Naz Reid to Multi-Year Contract

On Friday afternoon, before Minnesota's Summer League game against the Cavaliers, center Naz Reid officially signed a two-way contract with the Wolves.

An hour later, the Reid showed everyone why.

Reid finished with nine points, three rebounds and an assist while shooting 3-for-6 from the field, 2-for-2 from the 3-point line and 1-for-1 from the free-throw line.

While Reid only had one assist, that’s what opens up his game so much inside. Defenders can’t double because Reid has the ability to kick out. His assist came at the 3-point line. It was a fake-shot before firing in a crisp pass to his teammate for the easy layup. His passing and shooting are what he prides himself on, and that’s not exactly a surprise with how rare that is for a big guy.

"My ability to pass the ball and shoot the ball,” Reid said after the game. “Just getting other guys open off of screening. I feel as though that's something I've learned throughout this past process: being able to hit a body with a screen and if you roll or pop you might get yourself open. It's a big help for others."

He played just 14 minutes and is currently restricted to just four-minute chunks due to a foot injury. 

What we saw from Reid is a modern-day big who can handle the ball, shoot and pass. It feels pretty realistic that multiple teams will be wondering why they didn’t take him with a second-round pick. 

It has to make Wolves fans feel pretty happy with a front office that has been aggressive in improving this team through all avenues. It feels like there should have been more traffic on this particular avenue.

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While Limited, Naz Reid Impresses In First Summer League Game

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