UNC Basketball: Breakdown of Nassir Little’s Summer League debut

Bottom Line

Nassir Little didn’t have a good Summer League debut, that much is painfully clear.

His low feel got the best of him on offense, as he barged into defenders and launched hapless shots that screamed of subpar situational and spatial awareness, as he failed to read the floor in front of him and instead opted to make predetermined reads based on whatever set Portland ran at the time. He barged into screens on several occasions, bit on pump fakes that sent him flying, and was taken advantage of off the dribble twice by Bruce Brown, exposing his overrated quickness as a defender.

He did have a few solid possessions where he disrupted offensive actions and clamped down on a shooter, and took advantage of one positional mismatch against a slower forward, but overall his afternoon was underwhelming and left audiences scratching their heads and wanting more from the heralded draft prospect.

A rough outing shouldn’t have been unexpected, but it still took many by surprise, particularly those who were previously unaware of Little’s limitations as a raw 19-year-old forward whose game needs polishing to a significant degree.

Neil Olshey, Portland’s general manager, has been vocal about his NBA Draft ideology, expressing his belief that rookies are incapable of adequately contributing to winning, playoff basketball. Such a belief is true for Nassir Little, perhaps to his benefit, as the organization will likely bring him along slowly and let him play out his first season primarily in the NBA G League.

As it stands, Little simply isn’t ready to contribute at an NBA level — this statement isn’t an overreaction to his unspectacular Summer League debut, it’s a nod towards where he’s at as a player.

He needs developing, as he’s currently a negative on both ends of the floor. His shooting will probably come along, as his mechanics are fine and he flashed shot-making at lower levels, but his lack of passing vision and low feel make him a rough fit on the floor. Defensively, his tools are enticing, but his off-ball awareness and average foot speed will both make him a risk to be targeted by opposing offenses, as he could seriously get picked on.

Hopefully, in time, Little begins to show the same signs of offensive and defensive production — on-ball creation, deft finishing, switchable defense with event creation, etc. — that he flashed on the Adidas circuit and All-Star circuit as a high school senior. His work ethic is admirable, his support system is strong, and he landed in a great spot, so there’s still room for optimism.

There’s no need to give up on him over one small game.