2019 NBA Mock Draft: Will the Knicks’ big gamble pay off?
player. 211. . F. North Carolina. Nassir Little. 7
Little’s explosion on Jan. 21 at home agains Virginia Tech was not the harbinger of rapid development many hoped it would be the for the former five-star recruit and presumed top-five lock heading into the NCAA season. While Romeo Langford, Jarrett Culver and Ja Morant have taken larger steps forward than Little and risen above him on many big boards around the country, Little has fallen into a reserve role for one of the deepest and most dominant teams in college basketball. The Florida native cleanly fits into a frustrating archetype for draft prospects — the promising player who shows flashes in a small role on a great team.
That could make it tough for Memphis, who should be aiming high in their rebuild to turn the team around quickly now that it will trade its stars, to draft Little. He is not making the same flashy plays that separated Jaren Jackson Jr. from his peers last season and is not as young as Jackson, either. Yet it is actually Little’s fit with Jackson that makes him so appealing. The two young bigs offer the Grizzlies the most appealing fit in all of basketball — the ability to play small ball without actually sacrificing any size or length. If the two can both develop their jump shots (not a given considering Little is at just 27 percent right now), the Grizzlies could roll out a big man duo capable of spacing the floor, switching on defense and protecting the rim with energy.
As Memphis departs an era that was defined by the way it aggressively was the antithesis to modern basketball — Grit n’ Grind in the face of Pace n’ Space — it can quickly transition toward a roster for which the primary strength is its ability to out-modern all the other newfangled young teams around the league. Jackson was the first step, Little could be the next.
And there’s even more reason for promise — Little has made 12 of 25 from 3 since that dominant win over the Hokies at home. With each passing jumper, the Grizzlies and every team in the top half of the lottery have to grow increasingly excited about Little’s two-way potential.