Naz Reid of the Minnesota Timberwolves reflected on the 2025-26 campaign during his exit press conference on Saturday, May 16, describing a season shaped by swings in performance and chemistry building.
He said: “It was a roller coaster. Not in a bad way though. I mean, there’s obviously obstacles that you had to go through. I think we’ve, you know, we’ve been through a lot as a team… it’s life, you know, you kind of got to go through roller coasters and I think for me it’s how you punch back and I think we did that.”
The Minnesota big man pointed to early-season adjustments and midseason adversity as key themes. He added: “I think we’ve, you know, we’ve been through a lot as a team, especially, you know, beginning of the year trying to figure refigure it out again and so forth and so on.”
Reid also highlighted the group’s internal bond as a stabilizing factor across the campaign. “And then to really like mesh certain points in the season… but also as a brotherhood like got a lot of good relationship with a lot of these guys on the team and so I think that’s more important you know obviously basketball is important but I think the relationship with each other is super important.”
In addition to team dynamics, Reid discussed his on-court flexibility and defensive responsibilities. He said: “So I’ll say three. Just because I did some of that in high school… I think it’s pretty much the same but then defensively I think that’s just where you know you got lock in. You got a lot of different guys who you know might move or be able to score the ball at a different level than the others.”
Reid also opened up about a lingering shoulder issue that affected his availability and production. “It was pretty it was pretty painful. I feel like I wasn’t able to be, you know, myself for a good half of the season… It was a time where I just couldn’t even shoot the ball for real.”
He acknowledged the physical setback added frustration during a season already defined by injuries across the roster. “It’s huge. I mean, you want to have a full group, a full healthy team, especially when once you get to the playoffs,” he said.
Looking ahead, Reid emphasized consistency and defensive focus as areas for improvement. “Probably consistency… I think just being more consistent in that aspect and you know, and then laying our hat on defense.”
The Timberwolves forward also reflected on long-term continuity alongside teammates Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels, noting: “You get older, you know, you start to realize how important it is to win… we want to make sure we keep this keep this rolling in the right direction.”
Naz Reid finished the postseason averaging 12.6 points and 7.3 rebounds, playing a consistent frontcourt role as Minnesota advanced through the Western Conference bracket.
