A five-star recruit out of high school, Naz Reid began slower than he would have liked his freshman year at LSU. But recently, he and his Tigers, have started to hit their stride as they prepare for tournament basketball.
At 6’10”, 250 pounds, Reid is a physical presence in the paint, which can be seen best on the offensive glass. In just 24.8 minutes per game, he’s averaging 2.2 offensive rebounds. Where you would like to see more of that physicality is on the defensive end. He can be a dominant presence in the paint – both as a shot blocker and a defensive rebounder – but has not shown consistent interest on that side of the ball.
As a scorer, he’s extremely versatile. Reid’s the type of big man that can stretch the floor, shooting at a 37.7% clip from behind the arc. He can score in the low post. Although, a lot of his offense in the paint comes from his ability to crash the boards. Reid also has fantastic ball handling skills for his size.
But all that comes with a few negatives. Sometimes, Reid tends to fall in love with the perimeter too much, settling for outside shots at inopportune times. He will also turn the ball over way too often for a forward because of his belief in his offensive skill set. And despite being a quality ball handler, he is not a player who is interested in getting his teammates involved.
Reid will have to improve his basketball IQ and understand his skill set as he transitions to the next level, which is a physical presence on both ends of the floor that can stretch it out with his perimeter shooting. If he can learn his role, he could be a bigger Montrezl Harrell with a jump shot.