NBA Mock Draft 2019: The chaos of this draft is only beginning
142. . F. North Carolina. Nassir Little. 9. player
There was very little (pun completely intended… we’ve been doing these mock drafts for MONTHS, let’s have some fun) to take away from Little’s performance in the Tar Heels’ home loss to Virginia on Feb. 11, as he sprained his ankle early in the game.
Here are two quickies to keep your Little thoughts going as we approach draft night:
- During his first offensive possession of the game, Little caught the ball behind the 3-point line after a ball reversal, surveyed the defense… and took a single step into the midrange and jacked a long 2-pointer with 0:15 left on the shot clock.
- On the other end, a Mamadi Diakite post-up, which has to be considered a lesser option for Virginia’s offense, veered toward Little. With Diakite coming toward him, Little stood firmly in place until the shot went up, only to swipe at it meekly after it was too late.
These are the clips NBA teams see as well. Little simply did not do much within the structure of real, halfcourt basketball to make executives excited to take a risk on him.
For all the questions that remain about Little, just as many exist about the Wizards right now. They are reportedly gunning hard for Masai Ujiri, but that pursuit could lead them past draft night, meaning interim general manager Tommy Sheppard will make draft picks for the team.
Little and Washington appear destined for one another, if only because we know nothing about either party, and their courses are aligned to collide by way of draft order.