Kevin Durant described him as a “true pro.” Frank Vogel was full of praise for the 24-year-old, particularly in awe of his “solid two-way basketball and toughness.” Who are we talking about exactly? The former Suns’ forward, Nassir Little, is our guy for the day. Drafted in 2019 as the 25th pick, Little was a top-ranked prospect out of high school, leading Orlando Christian Prep to two back-to-back state titles as a junior and a senior. That was not all.

He was a McD’s All-American MVP and a co-MVP of the Jordan Classic, posting 28 points, five rebounds, and 24 points in 25 minutes, respectively. That put him in the league of the NBA all-time scorer, LeBron James, as the only second player to win MVP honors in both All-American matchups in high school.

Nassir continued his impressive performance, committing to North Carolina, and declaring for the NBA Draft after his freshman season. Needless to say, he was projected to be a first-round pick, and the Portland Trail Blazers drafted him in June, officially signing him the next month.

Aside from the various skills and achievements Little made, his physical attributes certainly played a role in him being an ideal candidate. As such, let’s take a look at them.

In stark contrast to his name, Nassir Little isn’t so “little”

Although Little never made it to the starting lineup with the Tar Heels, the explosive forward certainly had the Blazers‘ attention. His size, combined with his well-rounded athleticism, played a huge role in the interest that Portland had in him. On that note, let’s delve into his vitals.

• Height: 6’6″
• Weight: 220 pounds
• Wingspan: 7’1.25″
• Vertical: 38.5 inches

See the irony? Nassir Little fits more into the mold of a small forward than a traditional power forward. But as we have seen, he carries out the responsibilities of both positions efficiently. During the NBA Draft Combine, his speed was recorded as a 3.1-second shuttle run and 3.24-second three-quarter-court sprint, which meant that he was capable of staying ahead of nimble guards when defending in space.

As for his 220-pound frame, the man himself admitted that he was “already a strong dude,” not too long after his daughter was born. Of course, the context of it was being a first-time Dad and that too of a little girl. “I’m eager to see kind of what [dad strength] looks like for me … if y’all see me throw somebody on the ground, y’all know what happened,” he further added.

Little makes sure he digs deep into his arsenal when tasked with tough assignments

While he said the above statement jokingly, we know by now that if he was ever in such a situation, it wouldn’t end well. The guy isn’t dubbed the “Zion Stopper” for nothing, people! There’s a reason Little has been tasked with some of the most difficult guarding assignments. His notable opponents include the challenging Kevin Durant, methodical Kawhi Leonard, versatile Luka Doncic, dynamic Jimmy Butler, and more.

A mix of tenacity, speed, length, physicality, athleticism, and defensive intensity all come into play when Nassir steps up to guard each of these elite legends. However, Little does seem to have an affinity for injuries.

Not as bad as Paul George, Kawhi, or even Zion. A late January 2022 matchup against Minnesota saw him suffer a left shoulder labral tear. He was announced as out for the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery to repair it. Nassir averaged career-high numbers across the board. He scored 9.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.9 blocks while starting in 23 games in 25.9 minutes of game time.

Later that year, Little once again underwent abdominal surgery on the left side in May. Fast forward to April 2023, and he had to undergo another abdominal surgery on the right side to address core muscle injury issues. However, it hadn’t diminished his market value, as Nassir Little was part of the Damian Lillard trade that saw him land in Phoenix.

Although the Suns waived him late last August, multiple teams are already in line to get the versatile forward as part of their defense. They include the reigning champs, Boston Celtics, the Warriors, the Heat, and the Kings. Hopefully, Little will find a home in one of them, because either one of them would benefit from Little’s services, wouldn’t you say?