With the 25th pick of the NBA Draft, former UNC’s Nassir Little was drafted by the Portland Trailblazers. Little shockingly slipped way down the draft board after being considered a lottery pick over the past couple of months. Alternatively, his former teammate Cam Johnson made an unexpected jump up the draft boards, being drafted as the 11th overall pick by the Phoenix Suns. Little’s late selection is undoubtedly going to add fuel to the fire that is his drive to become successful in the NBA, and his story will undoubtedly be worth watching going forward.
Little’s journey to the NBA has finally reached its pinnacle now after signing to play for the Tar Heels as the 2nd best high school prospect in the country. Due to the overload of senior talent in the 2018-19 starting lineup, he accepted his role off of the bench and took his time to work with Roy Williams and his staff to become a better overall basketball player. There were plenty of amazing moments that came with it, but also there were some not so great moments. Ultimately, Little showed that he is as good as advertised during the NCAA Tournament, but flu-like symptoms kept him from performing at his peak during the loss to Auburn.
During the offseason, Little worked extremely hard to show scouts that there is more to his game than what they saw during his time in Chapel Hill. There have been multiple reports that his shot is looking good, and that his upside was still something that will be valued by any NBA team that managed to lock him down. Now that he is a member of the Blazers, his journey to become a valued player in the NBA begins, and it is one that should be a lot of fun to watch.
Congratulations to Nassir, we can’t wait to see what you’re able accomplish in the pros!