Nasir Little may be the SF of the future

[blazerfan11]

I just don't see it, man..
I mean, I see the guy everyday, he's NOT VERY BIG!!!!!
He is often injured, and I just can't see him ever being anything more than a 6/6 guy. If that.
Gawd I hope I am so wrong on this, but I wouldn't pick him on my team at Laurelhurst Park.
I just don't see what he does...3pt shooting? rebounding? perimeter defense?...Nothing there that stands out.
That said, I don't have an issue with him starting, only because I am crazy in love with what Hart/Winslow do together on defense.
I try to keep things real, as I feel, and I am mostly positive, but Nassir Little is the 10th or 11th guy on this team, IMO.

As Eric and Torey often like to point out, you don't defend with your head, so how high your head is off the ground really doesn't matter.
What matters is how high you can reach with your hands.
Jabari Walker, who will likely play power forward, has a standing reach of 8 feet 9 inches. Walker's height is 6 feet 6.75 inches in bare feet.
Nassir Little has a standing reach of 8 feet 8.5 inches. Little's height in bare feet is 6 feet 4.5 inches.
So although Little is 2 1/4 inches shorter than Walker, and might not be very big, his reach is only 1/2 inch less than power forward Walker.

 

[GrandpaBlaze]

As Eric and Torey often like to point out, you don't defend with your head, so how high your head is off the ground really doesn't matter.
What matters is how high you can reach with your hands.
Jabari Walker, who will likely play power forward, has a standing reach of 8 feet 9 inches. Walker's height is 6 feet 6.75 inches in bare feet.
Nassir Little has a standing reach of 8 feet 8.5 inches. Little's height in bare feet is 6 feet 4.5 inches.
So although Little is 2 1/4 inches shorter than Walker, and might not be very big, his reach is only 1/2 inch less than power forward Walker.

Good point. However, it is often the case that the taller guys also have more weight to them and reach without being able to stand your ground can also be an issue. See the multitude of concerns people had/have about Chet and what we saw in SL when smaller, but bigger, guys were moving him around.

There is more to it than just reach.

 

[wizenheimer]

As Eric and Torey often like to point out, you don't defend with your head, so how high your head is off the ground really doesn't matter.
What matters is how high you can reach with your hands.
Jabari Walker, who will likely play power forward, has a standing reach of 8 feet 9 inches. Walker's height is 6 feet 6.75 inches in bare feet.
Nassir Little has a standing reach of 8 feet 8.5 inches. Little's height in bare feet is 6 feet 4.5 inches.
So although Little is 2 1/4 inches shorter than Walker, and might not be very big, his reach is only 1/2 inch less than power forward Walker.

you don't defend with standing reach either...you defend with your legs, with reaction, with lateral mobility, with mass, and yeah, a little with wingspan but wingspan is the least important of all those IMO

 

[andalusian]

Draymond green has a small wingspan and is not the quickest guy, yet he's an excellent defender. You have to be smart and determined too....

 

[wizenheimer]

Draymond green has a small wingspan and is not the quickest guy, yet he's an excellent defender. You have to be smart and determined too....

good point...probably the foundation of good defense is BBIQ

 

[Pinwheel1]

Draymond green has a small wingspan and is not the quickest guy, yet he's an excellent defender. You have to be smart and determined too....

Green is pretty short for a PF at 6'6", but he does have a 7'.1" wing span.

 

[andalusian]

Green is pretty short for a PF at 6'6", but he does have a 7'.1" wing span.

Yup, that is the average wingspan of a power-forward in the NBA and is shorter than Nasir Little. The reason Green is a great defender is because he is able to process angles and understand what to do with them quickly, not because he is taller, faster or has longer wingspan.

 

[Pinwheel1]

Yup, that is the average wingspan of a power-forward in the NBA and is shorter than Nasir Little. The reason Green is a great defender is because he is able to process angles and understand what to do with them quickly, not because he is taller, faster or has longer wingspan.

I agree with your overall point. Good defense is so so much more than size. Cp3 is a good example of that over the years.

We have needed better defenders for a few years, not necessarily taller defenders. and certainly, coaching plays a factor as well.

 

[illmatic99]

Gerald Wallace was the 25th pick in the 2001 draft. He was injured a bunch earlier on in his career while getting DNPs as well. SAC actually didn't protect him for the expansion draft and CHA scooped him up.

Hard not to see the parallels when you see their playing style and early stats.



Nas: (also the 25th pick)



Just wrap Nassir in bubble wrap.

 

[theprunetang]

Gerald Wallace was the 25th pick in the 2001 draft. He was injured a bunch earlier on in his career while getting DNPs as well. SAC actually didn't protect him for the expansion draft and CHA scooped him up.

Hard not to see the parallels when you see their playing style and early stats.

View attachment 48845

Nas: (also the 25th pick)

View attachment 48846

Just wrap Nassir in bubble wrap.

And then trade him for a future 6th pick............