Naz Reid wins NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award over Malik Monk in a close vote

Naz Reid was having a great season as a reserve when the Minnesota Timberwolves needed him to start in the absence of All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns. Reid excelled in that capacity as well, guiding the Timberwolves to their second-best season in team history.

Reid was named the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year on Wednesday, defeating Sacramento Kings Malik Monk in a tight vote to become only the third undrafted player to earn the league's finest reserve. Reid had career highs of 13.5 points and 5.2 rebounds in 81 games. The forward-center came off the bench 67 times, acquiring a feel for the game in the early minutes before being allowed to have an impact.

According to AP News during an interview with TNT Naz Reid stated, “I kind of joke around with my teammates a little bit, but it’s kind of a saying where I feel like we have to keep the momentum going, anyway,” Reid said in an interview on TNT after the award was announced. “Either we got to have the mentality to come back in the game, or to push the lead forward.”

Reid, who is 6-foot-9, helped the Timberwolves accomplish this several times on their way to a 56-26 record and the third seed in the Western Conference. They lead the Phoenix Suns 2-0 in their first-round series. 

Naz Reid had a tough competiton to win

Towns was injured in March and missed the following 18 games. However, the Wolves did not slow down, going 10-3 from March 16 to April 10, with Reid starting 12 of 13 games. He averaged 17.1 points on 45.4% shooting throughout that time. 

Reid received 45 first-place votes to Monk's 43 from a panel of 99 league writers and broadcasters. Both players received 39 second-place votes and 10 third-place votes, giving Reid 352 points to Malik Monk's 342. 

Milwaukee's Bobby Portis Jr. finished third. Norman Powell of the Clippers finished fourth, with Atlanta's Bogdan Bogdanovic rounding out the top 5. Reid went undrafted out of LSU in 2019, and he originally signed a two-way deal with the Timberwolves that summer. Last summer, the fan favorite played his way into a multiyear contract deal, and this season, he repaid the Wolves with 843 points off the bench, second most in team history.