Naz Reid settles in at Charlotte after four games in a Hornets uniform
Naz Reid is four games into his first season with the Charlotte Hornets after seven years that ended in Minnesota. He has scored in double figures in every game so far, is not on the injury report, and the Hornets are 1-3 with him in the rotation.
By the Hornets Nightly Desk · updated 1 d ago01The story of the nightWhere things standReid wears No.
Reid wears No. 0 for Charlotte and is listed as a center-forward at 6-9 and 264 pounds. He is 27 and in his seventh season out of Louisiana State. The Hornets have played four games with him so far and are 1-3 in those games. Reid has not missed a game and is not on the injury report, with no injury history on file. His minutes have moved around night to night, from 16.0 against Brooklyn in the opener to 26.2 against Boston, which is normal for a big man finding his role on a new roster. Charlotte is still sorting out how to use him, but the early returns show a steady scorer who can space the floor and switch between the two frontcourt spots.
02The first four gamesReid opened the season on October 6 against Brooklyn with 13 points and 4 rebounds in 16.0 minutes in a loss.
Reid opened the season on October 6 against Brooklyn with 13 points and 4 rebounds in 16.0 minutes in a loss. He followed that on October 11 against Milwaukee with 16 points and 2 rebounds in 20.1 minutes in Charlotte's only win so far, finishing at plus-11.0. Against Boston on October 14 he put up 12 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists in 26.2 minutes, his heaviest workload of the season, but the Hornets lost and he was minus-13.0. The most recent game on October 16 against Memphis was another loss, with Reid scoring 12 points with 2 rebounds and 1 assist in 24.4 minutes at minus-8.0. The scoring has been consistent. The rebounding and the team results have not.
03What he did last season in MinnesotaLast season with Minnesota, Reid played 77 games and averaged 26.1 minutes, 13.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists.
Last season with Minnesota, Reid played 77 games and averaged 26.1 minutes, 13.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists. He added 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per game with 1.6 turnovers. He shot 45.6 percent from the field, 36.2 percent from three and 73.2 percent from the line, good for a 56.5 true shooting percentage on a 21.2 usage rate. His plus-minus for the season was plus-2.2. Those numbers paint the picture of a reliable rotation big who can score without needing the ball a lot, hit from outside and hold his own on defense. Charlotte is paying for that version of Reid, and his early scoring in a Hornets uniform tracks with it.
04How he finished last springReid's final stretch in Minnesota came in a six-game series against San Antonio in May.
Reid's final stretch in Minnesota came in a six-game series against San Antonio in May. He scored 12 points with 9 rebounds in a win on May 4, then 11 points and 7 rebounds in a May 6 loss where he was minus-26.0. He had 18 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists on May 8 in a loss, then 15 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists in a May 10 win. He closed with 12 points and 5 rebounds on May 12 and 18 points and 7 rebounds on May 15, both losses. His minutes ran between 21.4 and 32.0 in that series, more than his season average. That workload shows what he can give when a coach leans on him in a playoff setting.
05What to watch nextThe main question for Reid in Charlotte is minutes.
The main question for Reid in Charlotte is minutes. His four games have ranged from 16.0 to 26.2, and his best plus-minus of the season came in the Milwaukee win when he scored 16 in just 20.1 minutes. His rebounding is the other thing to track. He averaged 6.2 boards last season but has grabbed 2, 6, 2 and 4 in his four Hornets games. Charlotte needs more of the 6-rebound nights if he is going to hold a bigger role. The recent news around his old team has centered on Minnesota's front office and roster, per Wolves Notes reports on September 20 and September 29, but none of that touches Reid's situation in Charlotte. He is healthy and available every night, which is the baseline Charlotte wanted.
Reid13.6 ppg
Zubac14.1 ppg
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