For the first time since he was traded, Naz Reid spoke with the media. Here is his conversation with Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer
Roderick Boone: You’ve had to uplift your life in Minnesota and figure out the next step for you here in Charlotte. What’s that been like?
Naz Reid: It’s just trying to kind of come in and find a situation to live in. How to get around and so forth and so on. I’ve been hearing so much about how welcoming people are and stuff like that. That’s kind of something that I’m familiar with, the Southern hospitality. I think that’s huge, especially with the type of person I am. I’m kind of the same thing, same way.
But yeah, just getting around, making my way to events or whatever the case, whatever situation. Making my way around the gym a lot more, being that I’ll probably be here some. And then obviously kind of just somewhat making this home away from home.
RB: When you see people in Minnesota crying when you got traded, and how some had tattoos of you, how does that make you feel knowing what you were able to create in Minnesota and how people felt with you leaving there?
NR: Yeah, it’s kind of dedication and testament to my work. They’ve seen it since Day 1. I mentioned it all the time. They’ve seen me go undrafted, they’ve seen me work my way to some playing time minutes — whether it’s 15 minutes a game, 10 minutes a game — and they’ve seen me working my way to it going to 20 minutes and so forth and so on. So, Sixth Man of the Year, I couldn’t have that without those fans and the situation I was in. I’m definitely excited to share that moment with them.
And then obviously having the moment of me being traded and then them expressing their feelings about how much they wish I was able to stay and so forth and so on. So, it’s just kudos to that fan base. And like I said, the way they appreciated me, the way that they’ve embraced me since Day 1. I worked with them for eight years, and each year wasn’t easy. Each year was tough. It got better, obviously. They’ve been in situations where stands weren’t filled to where they are now. And I’ve been in that same element with them.
Being the longest-tenured player there, they’ve seen the work that I put in for eight years. And they kind of, I guess, appreciated that.
RB: The governor of Minnesota mentioned your name after the trade. When you have a politician doing that, saying how they want you around, and you’ll have always have a home there, what goes through your head?
NR: Yeah, I think that just goes to my character off the court, just how I try to be the best version I can of myself and trying to go out there and on the court and trying to compete at the highest level I can. Whether it’s scoring the basket, diving on the loose balls, setting the screen for my teammate, rebounding at a high level, communicating with the younger guys. I think they see all that.
And then obviously getting out in the community as much as I can and taking some pictures with the fans, and helping out in the community. I was at the state fair helping out a little bit as well. So, just trying to get out and do a lot of things around that community as I could.
I think that was a testament to the type of person I was. And then obviously the work done on the court spoke for itself.
RB: What do you know about your new teammates? Coby said he knows you because you guys were in the same classification in high school. How’s that going to help fit in here the way you want?
NR: Yeah, I’ve known Coby for years now. I’ve played against him. I’ve not played with him, but we’ve been in the same cahoots for about a couple of years now. So, I know him pretty well. Brandon (Miller), I knew a little bit, but I’m really starting to get to know him now. And Kon (Knueppel) I’m really getting to know. And Moussa (Diabate) and everybody else. Pat (Connaughton). And they’re welcoming me as well with open arms, and embracing me and all the work that I’ve put in.
I haven’t really got a chance to work with them yet, as I’m ramping up and coming from the injury that I had. But just the work that I see them put in every day so far that I’ve been here is kind of where you want to be.
RB: What can you bring to this team, and what are some of your strengths that you’ve been able to develop in your time in the NBA?
NR: For me, it’s more just sharpening my tools. I think I pretty much had everything as far as shooting, scoring, the way to pass, the way to rebound, defend at a high level. Just sharpening my tools each and every year. I think that was pretty much the landmark for me and making sure obviously I’ve grown in each aspect.
And I think I would probably say being a leader, especially in this situation. I’ll probably be a leader, knowing that I’m one of the oldest, and I’ve been in a situation where it’s time to mature.
RB: What about being a leader? How tough is that sometimes as a player who’s maybe a little bit more reserved, a little bit more of an introvert? And how important is it for you to be a leader for this team now with a lot of guys who are younger on the team?
NR: I think I kind of have some of that leadership skill. In high school and college, being one of the best players on the team, it just comes with it. That’s kind of something that you can threshold, that you kind of got to take on and kind of embrace that and kind of be able to communicate. You can’t communicate if you don’t hold yourself to a certain standard. So, you’ve got to hold yourself to a certain standard. And then you can be able to communicate and hold the next person to that sort of standard. But it starts with you.
You can’t do that from a leader’s perspective if you’re not even doing it. So, I think that’s kind of something that I realized, and I’ve taken in from other guys, playing with them and their leader roles and certain guys who I’ve been around.
RB: What about coach Charles Lee? What have you learned about him so far and how much are you looking forward to playing for him?
NR: Yeah, he’s embraced me a lot. We’ve talked a lot. We communicated a lot. We went to dinner (Tuesday) night. A lot of communication. So, I think that’ll be huge, knowing what he wants and knowing what I can do, and then bring to the table for him. That’s a huge thing. You can’t get anywhere without communication. I think that he’s a really good guy, really good dude. He wants the best for me and I want the best for the team. And that goes hand in hand as well.
RB: How do you go about making this your home and have things go in the direction you want where the Hornets are a playoff team?
NR: I think keep doing the same thing that I’ve been doing and then obviously ramp it up a bit. As me being the leader or one of the oldest guys, kind of knowing what playoff experience feels like and knowing what that environment is like and knowing what it is like, or knowing how it feels for a state to embrace you, let alone at the highest level. So, I think just being able to put my head down, going to work, and obviously leading by example, not just by words.
Like I said before, can’t ask someone to do one thing if you’re not doing your responsibility. So I think you’ll see a lot of me embracing my role and understanding what it takes to win. And understanding how to bring a team or a couple guys along as well. I’ve got some playoff experience. What’s the biggest takeaway from the last couple of years? Experience. I’ve been to Western Conference Finals two times in a row. Last year I went to the second round. Kind of knowing what it is, and what it takes to get there and kind of sustain at the highest level.
Obviously I’ve only been to the Western Conference Finals. I don’t know what the championship feeling feels like, but we’ve got a lot of guys who kind of experienced that feeling as well. They’ve won rings. Coach Lee has won two rings. So, just understanding, they know what it takes as well. So, I think having that mesh of a group of guys who know how to get there and know what to do at that level. That aspect is kind of good for our brand of basketball.