Naz Reid Opens Up About Getting 1st Hornets Win in Front of Friends and Family

New Charlotte Hornets forward Naz Reid was born and raised in New Jersey, so he had friends and family at the Hornets-Brooklyn Nets game on 10/21. 

Not only did the Hornets beat the Nets to begin the 2026-27 season 1-0, but Reid also played great in his Charlotte debut, putting up 20 points and 11 rebounds in 32 minutes while shooting 8-of-19 from the field and 4-of-10 from beyond the arc.

After the game, Reid opened up about getting his first Hornets win in front of family and friends. 

"Could have been more efficient, but first game, I'll take what I can get," Reid said. "We won the game. That's all I can ask for. Teammates supported me. Family and friends came out. I had fun. We got more to go, though."

The Hornets beat the Nets 110-103. Reid was Charlotte's second-leading scorer, as fellow newcomer Grayson Allen scored 21 points in 28 minutes. Five Hornets players scored in double figures to help head coach Charles Lee get his 64th win.

For the Minnesota Timberwolves last season, Reid averaged 13.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 45.6% from the field, 36.2% from beyond the arc and 73.2% from the free-throw line. He recorded six double-doubles. 

Reid won the 2023-24 Sixth Man of the Year award with the Timberwolves. He entered this season with regular-season averages of 11.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game and playoff averages of 10.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. 

Reid is making $23,275,862 this season. Multiple teams tried to acquire him after the Hornets got the talented big man from the Timberwolves in the blockbuster LaMelo Ball trade. Charlotte's front office told teams Reid was not available. 

Next up for the Hornets is the home opener against the Atlanta Hawks, who beat the Orlando Magic in their first game of the season. That will be a fun game, as we get to see Brandon Miller match up against Jalen Johnson. 

Miller and Johnson are two of the young small forwards in the NBA. Miller had 18 points in Game 1 against the Nets, while Johnson had 20 points and 14 rebounds against the Magic. 

Miller appeared in 65 games for the Hornets last season, his third year in the NBA. He averaged 20.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 43.5% from the field, 38.3% from beyond the arc and 89.2% from the free-throw line.

The Hornets signed Miller to a five-year, $209 million rookie-scale extension. Miller entered this season with career averages of 19.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. He was the second overall pick in the 2023 draft.