Old North Banter
Fansided

NBA Draft: Trailblazers get the steal of the draft with Nassir Little

By Joseph Ochoa

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 20: Nassir Little poses with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver after being drafted with the 25th overall pick by the Portland Trail Blazers during the 2019 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 20, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 20: Nassir Little poses with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver after being drafted with the 25th overall pick by the Portland Trail Blazers during the 2019 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 20, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Trailblazers commit highway robbery with Little at 25

Portland landed the biggest steal in the draft as they drafted Nassir Little with the 25th overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft.

Little had been projected to go in the top-10 of most draft-boards and mocks, but waited two and a half hours in the green room and even saw teammate and fellow forward Cameron Johnson get drafted in the lottery instead of him. Little played the fewest amount of minutes of all the Tar Heels this season.

Portland needed front-court depth

For Portland, this will be a steal in a draft that had top prospects such as Bol Bol still on the board for extended periods of time, but now Little goes to a team that has arguably the second best shooting backcourt in the league with SJ McCollum and Damian Lillard.

Portland needed to build the depth on its frontcourt, as earlier this year the Blazers lost Yusef Nurkic to one of the ugliest leg injuries I have ever seen. Don’t get me wrong, I like some of the forwards that the Blazers have on the roster, but you are not gonna scare anyone with Maurice Harkless

Nassir Little will make teams pay for passing on him

Little brings a solid, yet raw, skill set that makes him a more like Kawhi Leonard than any other prospect in this draft, whether it’s his size or his stats or his defensive skill set, he checks all the boxes of a young Kawhi.

Leonard showed us over the last few seasons that just because you come into the league without a huge offensive game, develop one to pair with a solid defensive game and become one of the best two-way players of our generation.

If Little can improve his offensive skills and work his way into a starting lineup, I see him following that same trajectory. Teams let him slide in the draft and if Portland can develop him the right way, he will more than likely make them come to regret that.

Home/North Carolina Tar Heels