Nassir Little

[No-Man]

He has never been known as a passer or a guy with great IQ, not sure how that comes as a surprise

[clyde21]

Nassir Little is exactly the type of prospect we're gonna look back on and think "how the hell was this guy not more productive in college"...a la Donovan Mitchell. He's going to be a much better NBA player than college player.

[skiz2]

To say it is one game simply isn't true. Yes, he may very well be adjusting to his physical maturation which is effecting his ability to create space or separation but his decision making with the ball despite those current limitations is a very real concern.

Outside of Texas/UM which are coincidentally his 2 worst games (UCLA is trash), UNC has played a cupcake schedule so referencing stats to this point isn't very persuasive.

That said, it is still incredibly early and he has plenty of time to get it together especially being a freshmen whom often look like different plays come March. I've done work with the kid going back to his junior year of HS so I know the work ethic and have seen the growth but simply dismissing current play or criticism as noise makes no sense. Yes he has an impressive body of work prior to college but there have been plenty of players who did and never got it together. I think he will round into form ( a top 5 pick) eventually but you can only talk about what is in front of you.

Yes, Michigan was by far UNC's hardest opponent this season up to this point, and even in the game against Texas he still hit double figures. What I was saying is that in terms of a complete disaster of a game, it has only been Michigan and now everyone is jumping down the kid's throat and saying ridiculous things like he is the 8th best pro prospect on UNC's team and pretty much just a body. As someone who reports to have worked personally with the kid, I think you and I would agree that it is the definition a knee jerk reaction. To dissect his game is fine, to come out and say radical things like what has been outlined after Michigan is too quick.

Kid will have plenty of opportunities to prove himself and I know he hates losing. UNC still has Duke twice, Gonzaga, Kentucky, Virginia, FSU, and Virginia Tech.

I do shudder to think of how he would play against Syracuse's zone at the moment. Hoping he and Roy can work together find ways to get to spots where he can act instinctually instead of forcefully more often.

[reanimator]

To say it is one game simply isn't true. Yes, he may very well be adjusting to his physical maturation which is effecting his ability to create space or separation but his decision making with the ball despite those current limitations is a very real concern.

Outside of Texas/UM which are coincidentally his 2 worst games (UCLA is trash), UNC has played a cupcake schedule so referencing stats to this point isn't very persuasive.

That said, it is still incredibly early and he has plenty of time to get it together especially being a freshmen whom often look like different plays come March. I've done work with the kid going back to his junior year of HS so I know the work ethic and have seen the growth but simply dismissing current play or criticism as noise makes no sense. Yes he has an impressive body of work prior to college but there have been plenty of players who did and never got it together. I think he will round into form ( a top 5 pick) eventually but you can only talk about what is in front of you.

Yes, Michigan was by far UNC's hardest opponent this season up to this point, and even in the game against Texas he still hit double figures. What I was saying is that in terms of a complete disaster of a game, it has only been Michigan and now everyone is jumping down the kid's throat and saying ridiculous things like he is the 8th best pro prospect on UNC's team and pretty much just a body. As someone who reports to have worked personally with the kid, I think you and I would agree that it is the definition a knee jerk reaction. To dissect his game is fine, to come out and say radical things like what has been outlined after Michigan is too quick.

Kid will have plenty of opportunities to prove himself and I know he hates losing. UNC still has Duke twice, Gonzaga, Kentucky, Virginia, FSU, and Virginia Tech.

I do shudder to think of how he would play against Syracuse's zone at the moment. Hoping he and Roy can work together find ways to get to spots where he can act instinctually instead of forcefully more often.

I think the talks of him not being a lotto pick off non-conference play are misguided or any talks of any prospects with certainty are and agree he will have plenty of opportunities. Hell, he might show out against Gonzaga and UK fairly shortly and I would not be surprised.

I know the kid is a high level shot maker and I am absolutely perplexed he is having troubles finishing drives some of which can be chalked up to team role and physical maturation. That said against the very small sample of good competition, he has played poorly and some of that is concerning.

[Duke4life831]

He had a really bad game, I'm not even close to jumping ship on him yet as a prospect. I get we all want all the prospects to look like Zion and basically make you drool over them almost every game, but that's just not how it goes.

Little's production on the season overall has still been great but just like everyone else that is inflated because of early non conference play. But I think he has shown why so many are high on him, but we have also seen his flaws as well.

[clyde21]

Little is averaging 12/5/1 on 59 TS%, 25 PER and 7.5 BPM. Not sure what everyone's problem is. He's playing off-ball a lot more than the top prospects so he's just not going to accumulate points and assists like them.

[PLO]

Can people please stop referencing stats in this thread until they become meaningful. Having a college resume loaded with opponents like Wofford and the Elon Phoenix isn't going to give us any statistical indicators that will show how a player will project into the NBA.

We'll see how he goes in December against something real vs the Zags and UK.

[clyde21]

Can people please stop referencing stats in this thread until they become meaningful. Having a college resume loaded with opponents like Wofford and the Elon Phoenix isn't going to give us any statistical indicators that will show how a player will project into the NBA.

We'll see how he goes in December against something real vs the Zags and UK.

Then you guys should stop talking about how he's not producing?

[PLO]

Can people please stop referencing stats in this thread until they become meaningful. Having a college resume loaded with opponents like Wofford and the Elon Phoenix isn't going to give us any statistical indicators that will show how a player will project into the NBA.

We'll see how he goes in December against something real vs the Zags and UK.

Then you guys should stop talking about how he's not producing?

That said against the very small sample of good competition, he has played poorly and some of that is concerning.

[tundraknight]

Nassir Little is exactly the type of prospect we're gonna look back on and think "how the hell was this guy not more productive in college"...a la Donovan Mitchell. He's going to be a much better NBA player than college player.

I’m sure most people realize how dominant he would be if he was actually the focal point of a team and not having to fight for playing time on a deep team.

[Stillwater]

Can people please stop referencing stats in this thread until they become meaningful. Having a college resume loaded with opponents like Wofford and the Elon Phoenix isn't going to give us any statistical indicators that will show how a player will project into the NBA.

We'll see how he goes in December against something real vs the Zags and UK.

Mosts scouts see him as the perfect small ball 4 which he clearly won't be playing in a Roy Williams offense.
That's alright he'll slip a little in the draft and not get stuck on the Suns or Hawks who have no idea how to build a team.

[clyde21]

Can people please stop referencing stats in this thread until they become meaningful. Having a college resume loaded with opponents like Wofford and the Elon Phoenix isn't going to give us any statistical indicators that will show how a player will project into the NBA.

We'll see how he goes in December against something real vs the Zags and UK.

Mosts scouts see him as the perfect small ball 4 which he clearly won't be playing in a Roy Williams offense.
That's alright he'll slip a little in the draft and not get stuck on the Suns or Hawks who have no idea how to build a team.

Read on Twitter

Roy Williams ain't gonna get another one-and-done.

[logical_art]

One thing that concerns me is that these kind of athletic good body try hard SFs have tended to get over drafted lately. I think everyone realizes the importance of the SF position, both in terms of positionless basketball and where many of the leagues stars are. Or maybe people are trying to find the next Leonard or Butler - relatively unskilled but athletic and long and/or strong guys who develop their games at the pro level.

So that's led, IMO, to guys like Justice Winslow, STanley Johnson, Jaylen Brown and Josh Jackson all being over drafted.

Little seems to fit that profile.

[No-Man]

One thing that concerns me is that these kind of athletic good body try hard SFs have tended to get over drafted lately. I think everyone realizes the importance of the SF position, both in terms of positionless basketball and where many of the leagues stars are. Or maybe people are trying to find the next Leonard or Butler - relatively unskilled but athletic and long and/or strong guys who develop their games at the pro level.

So that's led, IMO, to guys like Justice Winslow, STanley Johnson, Jaylen Brown and Josh Jackson all being over drafted.

Little seems to fit that profile.

yeah no, none of those dudes could shoot, Little has special touch and shooting ability for his size

Also among those they aren't that similar really, Winslow and Brown are really good athletes with strength, Johnson is quick and strong but can't jump a page, and Jackson is slim and very rigid, not uber athletic

Winslow is the only one that was actually a stud defender, Stan is useful against certain guys (like Kawhi/LeBron due to strength), Brown and Jackson were more stocks/events guys with iffy effort/IQ

on offense, Winslow was more of a passer, transition player, cutter, smart, occasional 3, Stanley a bully-ball type guy with some comfort in the mid-range, Jaylen a bad shooter with bad IQ for driving that did damage in transition due to exceptional athleticism and size and Jackson a jack of all traits with no touch but solid passing vision that lacked size to translate his game (if he were 6'10 and could legit play PF he'd be much more effective)

I think it's generalizing too much to compare those guys without context, the only thing they have in common is their height and iffy jumper at similar ages

Little is probably the 2nd best athlete if compared to that group (below Brown and on pair with Winslow, esp Justise after injuries) and the best shooter by a mile at the same age/stage, also the best at 1on1 D with Stanley Johnson

[No-Man]

Like I do agree that some of those players got over-hyped for the wrong reasons and in a way those are related to both the success stories of Butler/Leonard and the need for 2-way wings, although with Jaylen Brown he was actually underappreciated pre-draft and ended up going where he should, and honestly even with his current warts and issues Justise probably goes around 10-15 also now because that class sucks, but I think it doesn't really apply with Little

[Stillwater]

Can people please stop referencing stats in this thread until they become meaningful. Having a college resume loaded with opponents like Wofford and the Elon Phoenix isn't going to give us any statistical indicators that will show how a player will project into the NBA.

We'll see how he goes in December against something real vs the Zags and UK.

Mosts scouts see him as the perfect small ball 4 which he clearly won't be playing in a Roy Williams offense.
That's alright he'll slip a little in the draft and not get stuck on the Suns or Hawks who have no idea how to build a team.

Read on Twitter

Roy Williams ain't gonna get another one-and-done.

Roy doesn't want anyone he recruits to leave after 1 season so yeah.

[logical_art]

One thing that concerns me is that these kind of athletic good body try hard SFs have tended to get over drafted lately. I think everyone realizes the importance of the SF position, both in terms of positionless basketball and where many of the leagues stars are. Or maybe people are trying to find the next Leonard or Butler - relatively unskilled but athletic and long and/or strong guys who develop their games at the pro level.

So that's led, IMO, to guys like Justice Winslow, STanley Johnson, Jaylen Brown and Josh Jackson all being over drafted.

Little seems to fit that profile.

yeah no, none of those dudes could shoot, Little has special touch and shooting ability for his size

Also among those they aren't that similar really, Winslow and Brown are really good athletes with strength, Johnson is quick and strong but can't jump a page, and Jackson is slim and very rigid, not uber athletic

Winslow is the only one that was actually a stud defender, Stan is useful against certain guys (like Kawhi/LeBron due to strength), Brown and Jackson were more stocks/events guys with iffy effort/IQ

on offense, Winslow was more of a passer, transition player, cutter, smart, occasional 3, Stanley a bully-ball type guy with some comfort in the mid-range, Jaylen a bad shooter with bad IQ for driving that did damage in transition due to exceptional athleticism and size and Jackson a jack of all traits with no touch but solid passing vision that lacked size to translate his game (if he were 6'10 and could legit play PF he'd be much more effective)

I think it's generalizing too much to compare those guys without context, the only thing they have in common is their height and iffy jumper at similar ages

Little is probably the 2nd best athlete if compared to that group (below Brown and on pair with Winslow, esp Justise after injuries) and the best shooter by a mile at the same age/stage, also the best at 1on1 D with Stanley Johnson

Special touch and shooting ability for his size? He's a SF - he's supposed to be a good shooter. And you've watched more of him than I have, but 26% from 3pt doesn't say special shooter to me.

[No-Man]

One thing that concerns me is that these kind of athletic good body try hard SFs have tended to get over drafted lately. I think everyone realizes the importance of the SF position, both in terms of positionless basketball and where many of the leagues stars are. Or maybe people are trying to find the next Leonard or Butler - relatively unskilled but athletic and long and/or strong guys who develop their games at the pro level.

So that's led, IMO, to guys like Justice Winslow, STanley Johnson, Jaylen Brown and Josh Jackson all being over drafted.

Little seems to fit that profile.

yeah no, none of those dudes could shoot, Little has special touch and shooting ability for his size

Also among those they aren't that similar really, Winslow and Brown are really good athletes with strength, Johnson is quick and strong but can't jump a page, and Jackson is slim and very rigid, not uber athletic

Winslow is the only one that was actually a stud defender, Stan is useful against certain guys (like Kawhi/LeBron due to strength), Brown and Jackson were more stocks/events guys with iffy effort/IQ

on offense, Winslow was more of a passer, transition player, cutter, smart, occasional 3, Stanley a bully-ball type guy with some comfort in the mid-range, Jaylen a bad shooter with bad IQ for driving that did damage in transition due to exceptional athleticism and size and Jackson a jack of all traits with no touch but solid passing vision that lacked size to translate his game (if he were 6'10 and could legit play PF he'd be much more effective)

I think it's generalizing too much to compare those guys without context, the only thing they have in common is their height and iffy jumper at similar ages

Little is probably the 2nd best athlete if compared to that group (below Brown and on pair with Winslow, esp Justise after injuries) and the best shooter by a mile at the same age/stage, also the best at 1on1 D with Stanley Johnson

Special touch and shooting ability for his size? He's a SF - he's supposed to be a good shooter. And you've watched more of him than I have, but 26% from 3pt doesn't say special shooter to me.

Go around the league and find me plus shooters at 6'7 and 220lbs, I'd wait

yeah 26% on 19 attempts lol, talk about small sample size, he is shooting almost 80% from the FT line which is a must better indicator and his mechanics and shot diversity are really good

[big-shot-ROB]

I think Little compares quite a bit with Jaylen.

Iffy handles, struggle to create on his own, not natural passing vision, limited array of moves finishing and driving, suspect IQ.

Little though, has amazing shooting ability and touch for his size. I've never seen anyone shot as compact, squared and balanced as he does coming out of high school and with his size.

[No-Man]

I think Little compares quite a bit with Jaylen.

Iffy handles, struggle to create on his own, not natural passing vision, limited array of moves finishing and driving, suspect IQ.

Little though, has amazing shooting ability and touch for his size. I've never seen anyone shot as compact, squared and balanced as he does coming out of high school and with his size.

I can see that, Little been the better shooter and Jaylen the better athlete, but yeah, I'd agree

both better NBA than colleges players too