Charles Lee Raves About Naz Reid After Huge Hornets Debut

Naz Reid put up 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists Wednesday night in his first game with the Charlotte Hornets. Charlotte opened the season by beating the Brooklyn Nets 110-103 at Barclays Center.

He started at forward, played 32:41, and finished even in plus-minus. Reid shot 8-of-19 from the field and 4-of-10 from 3-point range, and he missed his only free throw. He grabbed 9 of his 11 rebounds on the defensive end.

Across from him was Julius Randle. Reid and Randle spent the previous two seasons together in Minnesota, and the Timberwolves agreed in June to trade Randle to Brooklyn in a deal that also involved the Chicago Bulls.

Randle scored 33 points on 11-of-18 shooting with 8 rebounds and 7 assists. He went 8-of-11 at the free-throw line.

Hornets coach Charles Lee said Reid tried to help Charlotte on the defensive boards.

"I loved it," Lee said. "Number one, taking on a matchup versus Julius Randle to start the season, put him in a couple different coverages. I thought that he executed them well. I thought there was some really good possessions where he's physical, he's showing his hands, he's making Randle have to hit a tough shot. And the process was good, and a couple times he made it, and a couple times he missed it."

"So overall, I was really impressed with Naz's activity," Lee continued. "I also thought that he really tried to help us on the boards with [the] defensive rebounds."

Charlotte agreed on June 25 to send LaMelo Ball and Josh Green to Minnesota for Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps, and three second-round picks. The deal was completed July 10.

Reid spent seven seasons with the Timberwolves after going undrafted out of LSU in 2019. He signed a two-way contract with Minnesota that July, and this is his eighth NBA season.

In 2023-24, he won Sixth Man of the Year after averaging 13.5 points and shooting 41.4% from 3-point range.

Last season, Reid averaged 13.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 77 games. He came off the bench in all 77.

Over seven seasons in Minnesota, he averaged 11.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists across 483 regular-season games. In the playoffs, he has averaged 10.6 points and 4.8 rebounds.

At media day in September, Reid said he wanted to bring playoff standards to a younger roster in Charlotte.

Bleacher Report ranked him 82nd among NBA players last week.

He scored 13 points in his first preseason game with the Hornets, a 124-90 loss to Brooklyn on Oct. 6. Five days later, he had 16 against Milwaukee.

For Ryan Kalkbrenner, who started 31 games at center for Charlotte as a rookie last season, Reid is a teammate he wants around for the whole year.

"He's a great player," Kalkbrenner said. "He's someone we love having out on the court. He does so many things, guards well, shoots the ball well, posts up, gets downhill, all that. He's a great teammate to have too. So I'm looking forward to spending the year with him. He's going to be a great add to our team."

Reid's 7 assists Wednesday included a pass to Grayson Allen for a 24-foot 3-pointer. He was called for 4 fouls and committed 1 turnover.

His first home game with Charlotte is Friday against the Atlanta Hawks at Spectrum Center.