NBA – After replacing Rudy Gobert, Naz Reid cashes in on his horrible Game 1: “That’s the beauty of this game”

Publié le
Minnesota Timberwolves (DR) / NBA (DR)

Par Guillaume Kagni | Journaliste sportif

Because the Timberwolves have decided to organize their offense around 3-point shooting, Naz Reid, Rudy Gobert’s replacement, was given far more playing time than the Frenchman. He wasn’t skilful, however, and spoke out about his performance.

Publicité

By eliminating the Warriors fairly quickly in the conference semi-finals, the Timberwolves gave themselves a few extra days’ rest compared to the Thunder. This was good news on paper, as last year they lacked that freshness when facing the Mavericks at this stage of the competition. But on the pitch, reality was more brutal.

They may have been rested, but Anthony Edwards and his partners lost quite heavily in Oklahoma. They were in the game for a good while, but the game plan put in place by Chris Finch, although respected to the letter, proved ineffective in the important moments. The Wolves took 60% of their shots from behind the arc, despite a glaring lack of skill.

Publicité

Naz Reid talks about his game 1 clumsiness

An attack based mainly on outside shooting means a lot of playing time for Naz Reid. Rudy Gobert’s replacement was used far more than he was, but he didn’t restore his coach’s confidence. Author of just 4 points on 9% shooting, including a terrible 0/7 from 3-point range, the pivot looked back on a complicated evening for him:

I can’t remember the last time I was so clumsy with my shooting. Skill comes and goes, so I’m not worried. As long as I can make an impact in other areas of the game. That’s how you stay on the floor. The beauty of this game is that we managed to create a lot of open shots.

Publicité

The Timberwolves finished the game at 15/51 from 3-point range, a 29% success rate, but this wasn’t necessarily because the Thunder’s defense was suffocating. Naz Reid and his team-mates managed to put themselves in good situations, to open up beautiful spaces, they simply lacked success. It remains to be seen whether they’ll rely on a better performance in Game 2, or whether they’ll try to play a little more inside, even if it means involving Rudy Gobert.

Minnesota Timberwolves NBA Statements Western Conference