Interesting.
Nassir Little
School: North Carolina
Position: SF/PF
Age: 19
Height: 6-foot-6
Weight: 220
Wingspan: 7-foot-1
Draft Range: 8 to 20
Why: Clearly an NBA athlete. Great jumper -- quick off his feet and really gets up. Has the tools to defend PGs, SGs and SFs: quick feet, long arms and is more than willing to compete. Once he gets stronger (he's already strong but has the body to handle more muscle), will be able to play as a small ball PF. Gets elevation on jumpers and his stroke looks fine; shot 77% at the line. Good instincts on the boards, particularly on the offensive end. Late bloomer in high school, appears to have a lot of untapped potential.
Why Not: He was a top high school recruit but underwhelmed as a freshman (9.8 points, 4.6 boards in 18.2 minutes). Has a high ceiling defensively but fundamentals need work. Offense needs even more work: rigid with the ball, no court vision, turns it over a lot. Shot just 26.9% on threes -- will need to hit threes to be a viable NBA player. Played mostly PF at UNC due to his lack of perimeter skill, which is not a good sign. Would be lock for top ten if two inches taller. As it is, he's short for being such a work in progress as a perimeter player.
Spurs Fit: Needs a year in Austin. Down the road, fits well next to White, Murray and Walker as long as his shot improves.
Spurs Comparison - Ceiling: 2013 Kawhi Leonard
Spurs Comparison - Floor: Malik Hairston
College Stats
Highlight Video
Tankathon Profile
HoopsHype Profile
Spurs will have to trade up if they want hm.
Yep...he'll be long gone.
Well that is a nice gap between floor and ceiling.....talk about ultimate boom or bust prospect.
Lmao this dude aside from his physical attributes looks nothing like Kawhi Leonard at any stage of his career. He doesnt even have Kawhi's hands. His numbers were nowhere close to Kawhi's in college either. Its like we see any muscular 6'7" forward with long wingspan and call him Kawhi.
Malik was pretty good the first 4 to 5 years...
Oops, wrong Malik.......
Actually think 03 Malik may be a better ceiling
Says the guy who compares Grant Williams to Kawhi Leonard and Paul Pierce
I didn't make the comparison to Leonard lightly. Their per-100 possessions stats as freshmen were pretty darn similar:
I mean, you can make the case for Little showing more offensive promise as a freshman than Leonard. Leonard is bigger and he shattered his ceiling but I don't think it's unfair to say Little could possibly get to second-year Leonard level.
Little is a of an athlete. He was a top prospect in high school because he was just so much more athletic than the kids he was playing against. College was a lot harder for him, and he couldn't survive on raw athleticism. I don't think the jump to the NBA is going to be kind to him. Maybe if he gets in the Spurs system and learns how to work and think. But he's one that I really think would have benefitted from staying in college another year.
I think the better comparison is Richard Jefferson as his ceiling, very similar type...
I've got a buddy who rode the bench at UNC, and is just a fanatic. He was all excited about Little when they brought him in, and ranted about what an athlete he was. But he says that Little frustrated the out of the coaching staff - especially that he was just clueless about defensive assignments. I always try to leave room for the fact that these are kids. But it sounded to me like he didn't get much coaching in high school, and didn't have to work to stand out.
The truth is, I don't really know how Kawhi was in college. Maybe he was the same way, and just absorbed knowledge when he got someone to teach him. But physically, I can understand saying that there are similarities. And Little seems to have pretty good defensive instincts. But I still have doubts about him jumping to the NBA after a hard transition to college.
Yeah, that's the intriguing/dangerous thing about him. Came out of nowhere to be a top recruit in high school in his senior season. Then didn't play much as a freshman at UNC ... and when he did it was mostly out of position.
High ceiling -- but part of that is because he's about as much of an unknown as a stateside player get these days.
Hairston was similar in that he was a top recruit coming out of high school who didn't live up to his potential in college.
Would like him if we got him. Spurs would have to believe they could develop him if they did.
Yes, But Kawhi also played at SDSU. And while it's a respectable school it's nowhere near the level of compe ion UNC plays
I think he’s a candidate to fall in the draft, maybe not to 19th but a lot people said he was really disappointing all season long
More than others his combine will determine his stock. He was lost at UNC, I don’t know if it’s more because of his IQ or because he was playing PF in their system.
i’m not sure I will move up for him.
Appreciate all these posts man. Any chance we can get one on Porter? Just saw him linked to us in a mock draft and I'm wondering what your take is on him
Exactly what I was going to say.
The only ways the Spurs will be able to draft him is through trading up or his combine interviews and measurements and individual workouts being completely horrendous. I have a feeling he is going to get drafted by an impatient team that is going to destroy any chance of him getting better due to poor development.
I live in NC so I have seen a lot of UNC game. This kid didn't stand out to me but I do believe at best he can be a solid NBA player.
There's a trend where guys like Little are picked high on potential but fade into mediocrity due to poor development from their respective clubs. This decade you can name Shabaz Muhammad, Kidd-Gilchrist, Justise Winslow as similar players who could've flourished behind the Spurs approach. Instead they are languishing with no shot at ever getting to an all-star level.
Little may be this year's version unfortunately. With luck he could be a Harrison Barnes or Andrew Wiggins level player. A Max contract worthy albeit non-impact.
He gotta be someones nephew, how many uncles and wot do we know about them at this stage?
I was big on Nassir little before the college season but he did not live up to hype in his 1st year initially. He struggled with the mental aspect, adjustment to a new system. He seemed to turn the corner as the year ended. He definetley will need a year in Austin.
I have a feeling that we will draft him in round 1, let's see how that goes.
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