NBA Draft 2019: Best and worst fits for all potential lottery picks
By Trevor Marks
17. Nassir Little, 6-6 F, North Carolina
BEST: Miami Heat
Miami, again? Yes, again. If Nassir Little gets picked in the lottery — a significant ‘if’ at this point, due to how wide his range of outcomes is — then there’s one team that stands out among the rest, and it’s not particularly close. The Miami Heat have a great culture established top-to-bottom thanks to Pat Riley’s stringent and disciplined personality, a great training staff that would get him in peak physical condition (and to an ideal playing weight, something he may have struggled with while trying to play the ‘3’ and ‘4’ at UNC), and a development program that’s proven itself adept at extracting whatever latent offensive talent a player may have.
Josh Richardson transformed from a second-round afterthought into a legitimate two-way option and leading scorer; Justise Winslow transformed from an energetic, defensive-minded small forward into a point guard; and Bam Adebayo is showing signs of all-star potential due to hidden offensive polish and versatility. If any team could get the most out of Little, who showed flashes of pull-up shooting and switchable defense as a high schooler, it’s the Heat.
WORST: Washington Wizards
Washington, who will likely be looking at wing talent on draft night, has a notably poor track record with wings. What could go wrong? Just this past season alone, the Wizards dealt Kelly Oubre to Phoenix — where’s he’s looked much, much better than he did in Washington — and Otto Porter Jr. — who’s also looked much, much better with the Chicago Bulls.
There’s a palpable lack of patience when it comes to the development of guards and forwards on the perimeter, coupled with unreasonable expectations for what the team’s draftees are capable of. Most of the blame can be placed on upper management — the ousting of Ernie Grunfield is a positive, to be sure, since that ushers in a new era for Washington Wizards basketball, but there’s still too much uncertainty hovering around the franchise.
If the Wizards were to slide on draft night, or were to simply reach for a wing such as Little, that could spell trouble. Little fits a position of need, but the cultural and managerial aspect of this pairing is far too delicate for a prospect that needs patience and nurturing as he improves several aspects of his game.