Nassir Little

[Stillwater]

there was a lockout dude, stay real

Sure the odds are you are right,It is the trend and he is a surefire lottery lock but if this season he continues to be used out of position of comfort and it kills his stock then all that says too me is he cares more about learning and advancing his craft at one of the storied programs more so than padding scores and getting his for the sake of a bigger payday and could very easily justify returning so he can not only increase his stock after a featured season at UNC but increase his ability to play the game and be better prepared to be an impact player at the next level from day 1.

If Little returns to UNC, that would put a nail in the coffin for Roy and UNC with any future recruits. What is happening with Little right now Im sure is hurting their stock with recruits out on the recruiting trail.

2010: Barnes consensus #1 pick. Doesnt go OAD and doesnt go top 5 in the draft
2011: JMM top 10 player, 3 years at UNC and undrafted
3 year gap
2014: Justin Jackson top 10 player, 3 years at UNC, surrounded by other wings that went OAD
4 year gap
2018: Little top 3 player

If Little doesnt go OAD, coaches on the recruiting trail will probably just show a list like this. 2 of those guys werent even starting their freshman year. That would be a horrible look for Roy and UNC and I dont think it will help Little's draft stock at all (look at Barnes). Also if he wants to increase his ability to make an impact at the NBA level, the best way to do that is go to the NBA and get NBA training all year long and get used to the speed of the NBA game.

The way I look at it, if he leaves it won't hurt him anymore than his stock is already hurt not being featured in a system that doesn't cater to his strengths as a future pro. But still is a top 10 lock given the lack of his type of upside available in this one. Maybe he will safeguard himself against going to the wrong team going a few picks later than what he is actually worth, who knows.
However, he bet on himself to be able to adapt to Roy's system and still make a impact out of position or he never would have gone there. Roy isn't lying to his recruits about what their roles will be. Nass KNows exactly what he is doing just like he did when he signed up at UNC. He could easily justify staying another season as the 2020 draft is starting to look even worse than this one.
The worst teams Bulls,Suns,Hawks,Knicks all bad locations for his game , so there is also that factor.

[Stillwater]

Didn't like what I saw vs UNCW.

I understand the physical tools but IQ and overall feel for the game on both ends has a ways to go. Not sure how great an overall athlete he is.

Not impressed with the skill level offensively either. Flashes some shot making, but doesn't look comfortable putting the ball down and kinda awkward in general.

Just looks lost out there most of the time.

https://youtu.be/y5u5xHtuaHg?t=86

[skiz2]

there was a lockout dude, stay real

Sure the odds are you are right,It is the trend and he is a surefire lottery lock but if this season he continues to be used out of position of comfort and it kills his stock then all that says too me is he cares more about learning and advancing his craft at one of the storied programs more so than padding scores and getting his for the sake of a bigger payday and could very easily justify returning so he can not only increase his stock after a featured season at UNC but increase his ability to play the game and be better prepared to be an impact player at the next level from day 1.

If Little returns to UNC, that would put a nail in the coffin for Roy and UNC with any future recruits. What is happening with Little right now Im sure is hurting their stock with recruits out on the recruiting trail.

2010: Barnes consensus #1 pick. Doesnt go OAD and doesnt go top 5 in the draft
2011: JMM top 10 player, 3 years at UNC and undrafted
3 year gap
2014: Justin Jackson top 10 player, 3 years at UNC, surrounded by other wings that went OAD
4 year gap
2018: Little top 3 player

If Little doesnt go OAD, coaches on the recruiting trail will probably just show a list like this. 2 of those guys werent even starting their freshman year. That would be a horrible look for Roy and UNC and I dont think it will help Little's draft stock at all (look at Barnes). Also if he wants to increase his ability to make an impact at the NBA level, the best way to do that is go to the NBA and get NBA training all year long and get used to the speed of the NBA game.

Yes...and while everyone is dissecting every little thing that Little does and is being hyper critical of it, Coby White is having a great freshman season and positioning himself as a possible first round pick. In addition Tony Bradley went from an undrafted guy to a first round OAD.

In addition to what you have outlined, UNC does not have a pro to point to in the NBA as an all star. Barnes was thought to maybe be tracking that way and Lawson might have snuck in a few games if it wasn’t for the drinking. I think that is the issue is that UNC’s products are mostly role players or projects, nothing susbstantial.

Roy needs Little to go and to produce. UNC has mightily struggled to get a guy of Little’s caliber for a while. Perception is a big thing.

I can tell ya too that UNC has had four prospects that they lost out on for the 2019 class that all publicly talked about their dreams of playing at UNC. Tre Mann, Zeke Nnaji, Boogie Ellis and Josh Green. I know from someone close to the program that UNC was at one point super confident about Mann and Ellis.

It seems like Cole Anthony is leaning UNC, has visited 3 times over the past 6 months, dad loves UNC, he and Bacot are best friends. He played with Coby White and they seem to like each other. Keion Brooks I believe will choose between UNC and IU with IU having the advantage. Who knows with Matt Hurt. In all honesty if I were him I would go to Duke with his skillset. We will see.

If Nas stays it certainly won’t look good, but hopefully Cole Anthony would give Roy a chance to redeem himself, if not I sadly would understand.

[cgf]

Sure the odds are you are right,It is the trend and he is a surefire lottery lock but if this season he continues to be used out of position of comfort and it kills his stock then all that says too me is he cares more about learning and advancing his craft at one of the storied programs more so than padding scores and getting his for the sake of a bigger payday and could very easily justify returning so he can not only increase his stock after a featured season at UNC but increase his ability to play the game and be better prepared to be an impact player at the next level from day 1.

If Little returns to UNC, that would put a nail in the coffin for Roy and UNC with any future recruits. What is happening with Little right now Im sure is hurting their stock with recruits out on the recruiting trail.

2010: Barnes consensus #1 pick. Doesnt go OAD and doesnt go top 5 in the draft
2011: JMM top 10 player, 3 years at UNC and undrafted
3 year gap
2014: Justin Jackson top 10 player, 3 years at UNC, surrounded by other wings that went OAD
4 year gap
2018: Little top 3 player

If Little doesnt go OAD, coaches on the recruiting trail will probably just show a list like this. 2 of those guys werent even starting their freshman year. That would be a horrible look for Roy and UNC and I dont think it will help Little's draft stock at all (look at Barnes). Also if he wants to increase his ability to make an impact at the NBA level, the best way to do that is go to the NBA and get NBA training all year long and get used to the speed of the NBA game.

The way I look at it, if he leaves it won't hurt him anymore than his stock is already hurt not being featured in a system that doesn't cater to his strengths as a future pro. But still is a top 10 lock given the lack of his type of upside available in this one. Maybe he will safeguard himself against going to the wrong team going a few picks later than what he is actually worth, who knows.
However, he bet on himself to be able to adapt to Roy's system and still make a impact out of position or he never would have gone there. Roy isn't lying to his recruits about what their roles will be. Nass KNows exactly what he is doing just like he did when he signed up at UNC. He could easily justify staying another season as the 2020 draft is starting to look even worse than this one.
The worst teams Bulls,Suns,Hawks,Knicks all bad locations for his game , so there is also that factor.

Why wouldn’t the Knicks be a good fit for him? With KP, Frank, Dotson & Robinson the team could develop a very exciting defense with a wing stopper like Little or Hunter joining the young core. We’d still need to find a real PG with the experience to help mentor Frank & fill that starting PG role for the other kids to best develop...rather than the reclamation projects that we currently have...but that’s a job for an experienced FA, not a rookie. So ideally we’d hit next season with something like this if we landed Nas:

FA | Ntilikina
Timmy | Trier
Dotson | Little
Vonleh | Knox
KP | Robinson

Which would seem like a great fit for Little; at least to my (heavily biased) eyes...especially if we moved Hardaway and opened more minutes at the 2 for Dotson.

[clyde21]

For a guy that people are complaining about not producing, again he's at 24 PER, 60 TS% and 7 BPM. Just doesn't have the box score counting numbers right now which I'm sure will get better.

Still, Roy Williams should probably pull his head out of his own ass and hand the team to Little and White.

[Stillwater]

If Little returns to UNC, that would put a nail in the coffin for Roy and UNC with any future recruits. What is happening with Little right now Im sure is hurting their stock with recruits out on the recruiting trail.

2010: Barnes consensus #1 pick. Doesnt go OAD and doesnt go top 5 in the draft
2011: JMM top 10 player, 3 years at UNC and undrafted
3 year gap
2014: Justin Jackson top 10 player, 3 years at UNC, surrounded by other wings that went OAD
4 year gap
2018: Little top 3 player

If Little doesnt go OAD, coaches on the recruiting trail will probably just show a list like this. 2 of those guys werent even starting their freshman year. That would be a horrible look for Roy and UNC and I dont think it will help Little's draft stock at all (look at Barnes). Also if he wants to increase his ability to make an impact at the NBA level, the best way to do that is go to the NBA and get NBA training all year long and get used to the speed of the NBA game.

The way I look at it, if he leaves it won't hurt him anymore than his stock is already hurt not being featured in a system that doesn't cater to his strengths as a future pro. But still is a top 10 lock given the lack of his type of upside available in this one. Maybe he will safeguard himself against going to the wrong team going a few picks later than what he is actually worth, who knows.
However, he bet on himself to be able to adapt to Roy's system and still make a impact out of position or he never would have gone there. Roy isn't lying to his recruits about what their roles will be. Nass KNows exactly what he is doing just like he did when he signed up at UNC. He could easily justify staying another season as the 2020 draft is starting to look even worse than this one.
The worst teams Bulls,Suns,Hawks,Knicks all bad locations for his game , so there is also that factor.

Why wouldn’t the Knicks be a good fit for him? With KP, Frank, Dotson & Robinson the team could develop a very exciting defense with a wing stopper like Little or Hunter joining the young core. We’d still need to find a real PG with the experience to help mentor Frank & fill that starting PG role for the other kids to best develop...rather than the reclamation projects that we currently have...but that’s a job for an experienced FA, not a rookie. So ideally we’d hit next season with something like this if we landed Nas:

FA | Ntilikina
Timmy | Trier
Dotson | Little
Vonleh | Knox
KP | Robinson

Which would seem like a great fit for Little; at least to my (heavily biased) eyes...especially if we moved Hardaway and opened more minutes at the 2 for Dotson.

well unless you think he will thrive in the nba at the 3 (not his game) than he should go to a team that employees a fast pace with better shooters than him around him where he can take advantage of his strengths as a small ball 4.

[cgf]

The way I look at it, if he leaves it won't hurt him anymore than his stock is already hurt not being featured in a system that doesn't cater to his strengths as a future pro. But still is a top 10 lock given the lack of his type of upside available in this one. Maybe he will safeguard himself against going to the wrong team going a few picks later than what he is actually worth, who knows.
However, he bet on himself to be able to adapt to Roy's system and still make a impact out of position or he never would have gone there. Roy isn't lying to his recruits about what their roles will be. Nass KNows exactly what he is doing just like he did when he signed up at UNC. He could easily justify staying another season as the 2020 draft is starting to look even worse than this one.
The worst teams Bulls,Suns,Hawks,Knicks all bad locations for his game , so there is also that factor.

Why wouldn’t the Knicks be a good fit for him? With KP, Frank, Dotson & Robinson the team could develop a very exciting defense with a wing stopper like Little or Hunter joining the young core. We’d still need to find a real PG with the experience to help mentor Frank & fill that starting PG role for the other kids to best develop...rather than the reclamation projects that we currently have...but that’s a job for an experienced FA, not a rookie. So ideally we’d hit next season with something like this if we landed Nas:

FA | Ntilikina
Timmy | Trier
Dotson | Little
Vonleh | Knox
KP | Robinson

Which would seem like a great fit for Little; at least to my (heavily biased) eyes...especially if we moved Hardaway and opened more minutes at the 2 for Dotson.

well unless you think he will thrive in the nba at the 3 (not his game) than he should go to a team that employees a fast pace with better shooters than him around him where he can take advantage of his strengths as a small ball 4.

Well whether he or Knox would be the 3 for that unit would depend largely on whether the opposition’s best offensive forward was a 3 or a 4. But what on earth makes you say that the 3 isn’t his game?

His handle needs to continue to improve and he won’t be confused for a point-forward...but defensively Little has no problem matching up with quicker wings on the perimeter, and his shot-making ability + range are plenty exciting offensively against guys who will have length with which to try & affect his shot.


Or did I miss read that and you are just talking about the role in which Roy is using him?

[Stillwater]

Why wouldn’t the Knicks be a good fit for him? With KP, Frank, Dotson & Robinson the team could develop a very exciting defense with a wing stopper like Little or Hunter joining the young core. We’d still need to find a real PG with the experience to help mentor Frank & fill that starting PG role for the other kids to best develop...rather than the reclamation projects that we currently have...but that’s a job for an experienced FA, not a rookie. So ideally we’d hit next season with something like this if we landed Nas:

FA | Ntilikina
Timmy | Trier
Dotson | Little
Vonleh | Knox
KP | Robinson

Which would seem like a great fit for Little; at least to my (heavily biased) eyes...especially if we moved Hardaway and opened more minutes at the 2 for Dotson.

well unless you think he will thrive in the nba at the 3 (not his game) than he should go to a team that employees a fast pace with better shooters than him around him where he can take advantage of his strengths as a small ball 4.

Well whether he or Knox would be the 3 for that unit would depend largely on whether the opposition’s best offensive forward was a 3 or a 4. But what on earth makes you say that the 3 isn’t his game?

His handle needs to continue to improve and he won’t be confused for a point-forward...but defensively Little has no problem matching up with quicker wings on the perimeter, and his shot-making ability + range are plenty exciting offensively against guys who will have length with which to try & affect his shot.


Or did I miss read that and you are just talking about the role in which Roy is using him?

I think he should be targeted by teams in full rebuild if they want him to develop his roles as a perimeter player because yes he does have the quickness to defend it etc...But I think he would be better served as a 4 in a small ball lineup to a team that already has good guard play and a stretch 5. Think RHJ but more upside

[cgf]

well unless you think he will thrive in the nba at the 3 (not his game) than he should go to a team that employees a fast pace with better shooters than him around him where he can take advantage of his strengths as a small ball 4.

Well whether he or Knox would be the 3 for that unit would depend largely on whether the opposition’s best offensive forward was a 3 or a 4. But what on earth makes you say that the 3 isn’t his game?

His handle needs to continue to improve and he won’t be confused for a point-forward...but defensively Little has no problem matching up with quicker wings on the perimeter, and his shot-making ability + range are plenty exciting offensively against guys who will have length with which to try & affect his shot.


Or did I miss read that and you are just talking about the role in which Roy is using him?

I think he should be targeted by teams in full rebuild if they want him to develop his roles as a perimeter player because yes he does have the quickness to defend it etc...But I think he would be better served as a 4 in a small ball lineup to a team that already has good guard play and a stretch 5. Think RHJ but more upside

But why though? Not trying to "call you out", just curious why you have a different opinion to my own cause I love Nas a perimeter player pretty early in his career...provided he can pick up NBA-rotations & improves his off-the-ball awareness defensively; which most teenagers need help with...

But his quickness, length & instincts should let him excel as 1-on-1 defender pretty quickly on the perimeter. And that stroke, with his length & the elevation he gets on it, is going to be hell to bother for guys who are quick enough to stay in front of him. So what about his game makes you think he'd be better off as a small ball 4?

[clyde21]

If Nas isnt a 3 I dont know who is

[PLO]

You guys seem to be giving Little traits that he doesn't actually have. Again, as mentioned earlier, these statistical numbers are basically irrelevant because of the competition he's faced because he's been bad against the good competition he's faced. He's got a crucial few games coming up so we'll see how he performs in them.

[skiz2]

You guys seem to be giving Little traits that he doesn't actually have. Again, as mentioned earlier, these statistical numbers are basically irrelevant because of the competition he's faced because he's been bad against the good competition he's faced. He's got a crucial few games coming up so we'll see how he performs in them.

Should we not discuss any prospects until March then? Haha. I think we all agree that we will have a better picture of where everyone is by then, but man, this is the purpose of message boards. His worst game of the season came on the road to a team that is looking like a top 3 team this season. Not fair to write him off, not fair to declare him MJ either. It just seems odd that people like you have been so adament about it since the Michigan game and I don’t think that is a coincidence.

Granted I don’t pay as much attention to the Reddish threads, but he isn’t exactly lighting the world on fire right now and his game is not near as dissected as Nas’. Both will be fine IMHO.

[skiz2]

For a guy that people are complaining about not producing, again he's at 24 PER, 60 TS% and 7 BPM. Just doesn't have the box score counting numbers right now which I'm sure will get better.

Still, Roy Williams should probably pull his head out of his own ass and hand the team to Little and White.

Nor the playing time. Assuming his production would not fall off with more playing time, he is producing fine.

I think the problem is that for Nas to be successful at UNC (emphasis added) he needs to be used like Luke Maye. That is not happening with Maye on the roster. They need to have him mid range curl, get screens for the other big to find mismatches on the block, and pick and pop.

Maye has been wildly inconsistent this year because teams have figured him. Roy needs Nas and Luke to switch roles depending on the matchups.

[Stillwater]

Well whether he or Knox would be the 3 for that unit would depend largely on whether the opposition’s best offensive forward was a 3 or a 4. But what on earth makes you say that the 3 isn’t his game?

His handle needs to continue to improve and he won’t be confused for a point-forward...but defensively Little has no problem matching up with quicker wings on the perimeter, and his shot-making ability + range are plenty exciting offensively against guys who will have length with which to try & affect his shot.


Or did I miss read that and you are just talking about the role in which Roy is using him?

I think he should be targeted by teams in full rebuild if they want him to develop his roles as a perimeter player because yes he does have the quickness to defend it etc...But I think he would be better served as a 4 in a small ball lineup to a team that already has good guard play and a stretch 5. Think RHJ but more upside

But why though? Not trying to "call you out", just curious why you have a different opinion to my own cause I love Nas a perimeter player pretty early in his career...provided he can pick up NBA-rotations & improves his off-the-ball awareness defensively; which most teenagers need help with...

But his quickness, length & instincts should let him excel as 1-on-1 defender pretty quickly on the perimeter. And that stroke, with his length & the elevation he gets on it, is going to be hell to bother for guys who are quick enough to stay in front of him. So what about his game makes you think he'd be better off as a small ball 4?

He can defend the perimeter so you can call him a 3/4 I guess but his offensive skill is closer to a 4 than a 3.

[PLO]

You guys seem to be giving Little traits that he doesn't actually have. Again, as mentioned earlier, these statistical numbers are basically irrelevant because of the competition he's faced because he's been bad against the good competition he's faced. He's got a crucial few games coming up so we'll see how he performs in them.

Should we not discuss any prospects until March then? Haha. I think we all agree that we will have a better picture of where everyone is by then, but man, this is the purpose of message boards. His worst game of the season came on the road to a team that is looking like a top 3 team this season. Not fair to write him off, not fair to declare him MJ either. It just seems odd that people like you have been so adament about it since the Michigan game and I don’t think that is a coincidence.

Granted I don’t pay as much attention to the Reddish threads, but he isn’t exactly lighting the world on fire right now and his game is not near as dissected as Nas’. Both will be fine IMHO.

I'm not saying don't discuss him, I'm saying don't state stuff like he has "shot making ability" plus "range" and say that he's a "good on ball defender" and has no problem "matching up with quicker wings" when none of those things are true.

Fair enough if you say he had those things in high school, but in college he doesn't have those traits. Posters here are ascribing tools to him that he just doesn't possess based on what we've seen so far at UNC.

There's only so much blame you can place at his coach's feet; like I said I'll be watching his upcoming games with interest, and I truly hope he can turn it around. Its just right now the fictional idea some posters here have of him is very far from the reality of his actual play. There are still many games to go and he can flip things to be the type of prospect many saw at the previous level, fingers crossed that is what happens.

[Funcrusher]

You guys seem to be giving Little traits that he doesn't actually have. Again, as mentioned earlier, these statistical numbers are basically irrelevant because of the competition he's faced because he's been bad against the good competition he's faced. He's got a crucial few games coming up so we'll see how he performs in them.

Should we not discuss any prospects until March then? Haha. I think we all agree that we will have a better picture of where everyone is by then, but man, this is the purpose of message boards. His worst game of the season came on the road to a team that is looking like a top 3 team this season. Not fair to write him off, not fair to declare him MJ either. It just seems odd that people like you have been so adament about it since the Michigan game and I don’t think that is a coincidence.

Granted I don’t pay as much attention to the Reddish threads, but he isn’t exactly lighting the world on fire right now and his game is not near as dissected as Nas’. Both will be fine IMHO.

I'm not saying don't discuss him, I'm saying don't state stuff like he has "shot making ability" plus "range" and say that he's a "good on ball defender" and has no problem "matching up with quicker wings" when none of those things are true.

Fair enough if you say he had those things in high school, but in college he doesn't have those traits. Posters here are ascribing tools to him that he just doesn't possess based on what we've seen so far at UNC.

There's only so much blame you can place at his coach's feet; like I said I'll be watching his upcoming games with interest, and I truly hope he can turn it around. Its just right now the fictional idea some posters here have of him is very far from the reality of his actual play. There are still many games to go and he can flip things to be the type of prospect many saw at the previous level, fingers crossed that is what happens.

And you're basing your criticism of Nas on 2 bad games he had against quality competition?

[PLO]

Should we not discuss any prospects until March then? Haha. I think we all agree that we will have a better picture of where everyone is by then, but man, this is the purpose of message boards. His worst game of the season came on the road to a team that is looking like a top 3 team this season. Not fair to write him off, not fair to declare him MJ either. It just seems odd that people like you have been so adament about it since the Michigan game and I don’t think that is a coincidence.

Granted I don’t pay as much attention to the Reddish threads, but he isn’t exactly lighting the world on fire right now and his game is not near as dissected as Nas’. Both will be fine IMHO.

I'm not saying don't discuss him, I'm saying don't state stuff like he has "shot making ability" plus "range" and say that he's a "good on ball defender" and has no problem "matching up with quicker wings" when none of those things are true.

Fair enough if you say he had those things in high school, but in college he doesn't have those traits. Posters here are ascribing tools to him that he just doesn't possess based on what we've seen so far at UNC.

There's only so much blame you can place at his coach's feet; like I said I'll be watching his upcoming games with interest, and I truly hope he can turn it around. Its just right now the fictional idea some posters here have of him is very far from the reality of his actual play. There are still many games to go and he can flip things to be the type of prospect many saw at the previous level, fingers crossed that is what happens.

And you're basing your criticism of Nas on 2 bad games he had against quality competition?

If you go back over the thread you can see what games I've watched.

Which is to say, what are you pro-Little people basing your opinion on? Because it can't be what he's dished up this season in the games I've seen.

[Funcrusher]

I'm not saying don't discuss him, I'm saying don't state stuff like he has "shot making ability" plus "range" and say that he's a "good on ball defender" and has no problem "matching up with quicker wings" when none of those things are true.

Fair enough if you say he had those things in high school, but in college he doesn't have those traits. Posters here are ascribing tools to him that he just doesn't possess based on what we've seen so far at UNC.

There's only so much blame you can place at his coach's feet; like I said I'll be watching his upcoming games with interest, and I truly hope he can turn it around. Its just right now the fictional idea some posters here have of him is very far from the reality of his actual play. There are still many games to go and he can flip things to be the type of prospect many saw at the previous level, fingers crossed that is what happens.

And you're basing your criticism of Nas on 2 bad games he had against quality competition?

If you go back over the thread you can see what games I've watched.

Which is to say, what are you pro-Little people basing your opinion on? Because it can't be what he's dished up this season in the games I've seen.

I don't really care what games you watched, I'm telling you he's only had like two objectively bad games (Michigan and Texas), so I assume you're basing your critique largely on those games. Otherwise I have no idea what you're talking about.

Outside of those games, and really just the Michigan game, he's been productive in the role he's been given. You can look at his stats, which I'm sure you've already been made aware of, they back it up.

[PLO]

And you're basing your criticism of Nas on 2 bad games he had against quality competition?

If you go back over the thread you can see what games I've watched.

Which is to say, what are you pro-Little people basing your opinion on? Because it can't be what he's dished up this season in the games I've seen.

I don't really care what games you watched, I'm telling you that he's only had like two objectively bad games (Michigan and Texas) where he's struggled, so I assume you're basing your critique largely on those games. Otherwise I have no idea what you're talking about.

Outside of those games, and really just the Michigan game, he's been productive in the role he's been given. You can look at his stats, which I'm sure you've already been made aware of, they back it up.

My understanding is he's been objectively bad the entire year, because that's what the tape I've watched says. Awesome for him he's tricked some of you because seemingly you've only looked at box scores or stats, I suspect actual scouts in the NBA won't be so lenient.

Also, its great you can deduce he has all these positive characteristics from stats, though how you can get he has "range" with his 3p % is beyond me.

[King Ken]

More Winslow than Kawhi