Nassir Little

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BonesJones said:
He averaged 21.5PPG & 10RPG Per 40 minutes in college. Struggled from the 3pt line but only shot 52 for the season. Was good in almost every other aspect of the game. And that was with his minutes being wildly varied because he was behind two phenomenal upper classman in Cam Johnson and Luke Maye. When he did come into the game, he was very good. He played with an edge and a swagger about him that I like. He exuded confidence when I saw him play. He literally said that he was going to "prove (Bilas) right" when Bilas said he was a steal. Somehow him saying "Thanks for taking a chance on me" means he has a confidence problem? That doesn't make sense. Nothing suggests he has a confidence problem.
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I just think there is a chance that his confidence was eroded somewhat in that situation and that Blazers need to be careful not to do anything that might erode it further. So I am in favor of taking it slow with him.
 
BonesJones said:
It seems like people are scraping the bottom of the barrel for criticisms of this pick and as Little as a player. Dude will be better than Harkless ever was before he's legal to drink.
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Maybe be there mad because we didn't pick string bean pole BOL from Oregon. If they go after Zach being weak you a mange what they say about BOL.
 
BonesJones said:
It seems like people are scraping the bottom of the barrel for criticisms of this pick and as Little as a player. Dude will be better than Harkless ever was before he's legal to drink.
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Not that I disagree , but based on what?
 
The way he takes the ball to the hoop it showed me he had no confidence problem. Maybe he never really got no rhythm on his shot but I think he rather dunk in your face then shoot a 3 pointer.
 
kjironman1 said:
Every other report i am reading says he is and has always worked very very hard. On the court and off. You don't get 4.2 GPA and academic scholarships to multiple schools without working hard.
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Well, SAT scores and athletic scholarships can be bought...
 
Just got done looking at Little game log and he score 18 times in double figures in scoring and he shot 31 percent in conference at the 3 point shot. His 2 point fg percent was I believe 46 percent in conference. He also very good rebounder for his position. There some games he didn't even attempt a 3 point shot. There very good player name Derozan that's play for the Spurs that relies on the 2 point shot then the 3 that been pretty effective in this league.
 
handiman said:
Well, SAT scores and athletic scholarships can be bought...
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No they can’t!
At least not legally. Are you trying to say this kid cheated? Accusing someone of cheating used to be a serious matter.
Seriously get ahold of yourself. Making mindless accusations is a huge issue!
 
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UKRAINEFAN said:
I just think there is a chance that his confidence was eroded somewhat in that situation and that Blazers need to be careful not to do anything that might erode it further. So I am in favor of taking it slow with him.
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It might also be true that he doesn't think it was a fair representation of his actual ability and I think he's hinted at that. Not only that it's unfair to his ability but also it's unfair in how it's being portrayed. He was asked to do things and he did them according to the plan of the coach. He played behind two SRs with talent. Anywhere else in the country is he likely starting and playing big minutes. He was asked to play in a system that was different than he was used to. He proved to be a solid 3-PT shooter in HS with a 38% clip, but in a small sample size in only 18 minutes/game he shot below average from three at Carolina, so all of a sudden he "can't shoot". No, I think he knows the situation better than anyone else and I think his vision for himself is realistic, but also based on the confidence he has in himself. Of course he has to improve on a lot of things, and part of that is because he's never been exposed to the NBA game. Everyone has to adapt and learn within the new system. No one coming out of the draft is adept at all of the intricacies of the game. Still, no one else on the Blazers was talked about as being the top player in the country. No one else was rated as highly in their class. He has elite tools. He has a great support system. He has makeup. This man wants to be in the Hall of Fame. Yet he dropped. I don't know, but it might be possible that his trajectory falling is an illusion.

I'm also fine with taking it slow him to a degree. He needs to play though. I don't think confidence is gained from sitting and I do think he's mature enough to handle the failing that will happen as he grows into an NBA player. I do think it will become pretty clear sooner rather than later that Nassir will be the future starting small forward. Once this realization happens then it really depends on his play. I do think he needs a lot of work and some of this growth will take years, but ultimately working him into the rotation as soon as this season would help him and the team greatly into the future.
 
From a Tar Heel fan who watched all the games. He thinks Little was the best player on the team by tournament time, but then got the flu right before the big Auburn game.
"I feel like what I will remember the most about Little’s time at UNC is how committed he was to the program, how humble he was, and also how amazing it was when he was at his best. He could have woke up everyday feeling like he made the worst decision in the world, but it was never like that with him. Whenever Roy Williams wanted him to do something, he just listened and did it. It sounds weird, but I also think that’s why Portland got themselves a winner. He’ll come in right away willing to learn, willing to give it everything that he has, and will never be afraid of the moment."
https://www.blazersedge.com/2019/6/...azers-north-carolina-tar-heels-nba-draft-2019
 
I am so excited for Nassir Little in a Blazer uniform, its irrational I know he’s got things to work on, but Im more excited for this pick then I have been for a rookie in a long time.

I really hope he either lights a fire under Moe to show up and produce or he starts next year.
 
blazerfan11 said:
To me, a confidence problem is a red flag. I sure hope that is not the case. The NBA isn't for people who need Tony Robbins to get them out of bed.
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The only place I’ve seen Little possibly having a lack of confidence is here. Perhaps Little is just a sincere, grateful, well-mannered kid? I mean, I HAVE seen that mentioned in pretty much every article about Little.
 
Something else that I think is pretty interesting about Little is the competition he played this year.

He went head-to-head against three of the top four picks in this draft in ACC play (Zion, Barrett, Hunter). They played positions where he'd have matched up with all of them at one time or another. He played behind the No. 11 pick in the draft and would have gone up against him every day in practice.

He played against 22 of the other 59 picks in this draft (and two of those he didn't were UNC teammates), including Hachimura, Clarke, Reddish, Washington, Herro, Okeke, Okpala, Thybulle, Alexander-Walker, Mann, Kabengele, Kelden Johnson, Brazdeikis, and Hayes ... all guys that he could have run into as they play the 2, 3 or 4.

And two of his four best scoring games were in the NCAA Tournament. Two of his next three best scoring performances where against Virginia Tech and Florida State, each of which made it to the Sweet 16. He scored 43 points in 51 minutes playing off the bench in the NCAA Tourney. He scored 18 in 23 minutes against Florida State. He scored 23 in 20 minutes against Va Tech.

It might mean nothing, but I think it indicates that he's faced high-level competition, often raised his game to meet that competition and was playing some of his best basketball at the end of the season.
 
After the excitement of the draft has died down a bit, here are my thoughts on Little:

The Good:
Effortless Power Dunker. Haven't seen this in a while.
Shooting woes are definitely overblown.
Strong family support.
The presence of fellow Floridian Simons is gonna be HUGE for his development.
Physical tools to be a top defender.
Very hard worker.
Intelligent (at least school-wise), thoughtful.
Chip on his shoulder.

The Not-so-Good:
Too many blown assignments in college was a big factor in limiting his PT, and is my biggest concern moving forward.
19 year old noob.
 
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Wizard Mentor said:
After the excitement of the draft has died down a bit, here are my thoughts on Little:

The Good:
Effortless Power Dunker. Haven't seen this in a while.
Shooting woes are definitely overblown.
Strong family support.
The presence of fellow Floridian Simons is gonna be HUGE for his development.
Physical tools to be a top defender.
Very hard worker.
Intelligent (at least school-wise), thoughtful.
Chip on his shoulder.

The Not-so-Good:
Too many blown assignments in college was a big factor in limiting his PT, and is my biggest concern moving forward.
19 year old noob.
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Only other not-so-good I would add is shooting from 3. Although I think he can do it (in time) he hasn't shown that he will right out of the gate.

I am still excited as heck to have him!
 
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