Nassir Little Continuing to Regain Confidence After Injuries, Navigating an Uncertain Role
Little's minutes have been up and down this season, but he's happy with how he's playing and sees the Trail Blazers as "championship-caliber."
Sean Highkin
November 16, 2022
Nassir Little came into the season hoping and expecting to be the Trail Blazers' starting small forward. It hasn't worked out that way.
After an up-and-down preseason while he was working off the rust from shoulder and core muscle surgeries last spring, Little signed a four-year, $28 million extension in October, but his role and minutes through the first month of the season have been inconsistent.
Little has been largely productive when he has been on the floor this season. He's shooting a career-high 43.3 percent from three-point range and bringing energy on defense. But with the Blazers' depth on the wing and their strong start to the season, his playing time has fluctuated.
"I didn't think it was going to be like that," Little told me after the Blazers' Tuesday night win over the Spurs, in which he played 14 minutes off the bench and finished with two points, three rebounds, a steal and three turnovers. "But I also think we've played way better than we expected to be, so this is how the cards shook out."