Portland Trail Blazers pick up Nassir Little’s rookie scale option

The Portland Trail Blazers have picked up Nassir Little‘s fourth-year, rookie scale option. This extension comes ahead of a very important third year for the former North Carolina Tar Heel.

Per Jason Quick of the Athletic, Little has had a standout start to training camp and the strides taken in his game have been visible and duly noted.

Is this extension a reward for the improvement that Little has shown behind the scenes?

The Portland Trail Blazers pick up Nassir Little’s rookie option; what this means for the team

It’s due time for Nassir Little to break out. Drafted with the 25th pick in the 2019 draft, the Portland Trail Blazers were lauded for their selection due to Little’s seemingly towering potential.

Here’s what BleacherReport’s Zach Buckley said of the pick immediately following the draft:

"Once regarded as a top-five prospect, Nassir Little’s offensive shortcomings limited his impact for the Tar Heels and sent him tumbling down the draft board. But his physical gifts remain enticing, especially for a Portland Trail Blazers team that has long been hunting for star forwards.Who’s the real Little? Is he the player who set the hoops world ablaze at the 2018 McDonald’s All-American Game or the one who never started and averaged fewer than 20 minutes at North Carolina?Little has the perfect physical tools for a positionless league, and it’s possible the Association will bring out the best of him. With a better-spaced floor, his explosive athleticism could shine on the offensive glass and off-ball cuts."

So far, Little’s offensive shortcomings have been more glaring than his bright spots. While he hasn’t necessarily been ineffective as a scorer in his limited time on the court — 4.6 points per game, 47 percent from the floor, 35 percent from deep in 2020-2021 — he leaves a lot to be desired in terms of shot selection and game IQ.

This upcoming season, the Blazers need Little to be the player that they drafted him to be, or at least show signs that he’s getting there.

The other players capable of manning the small forward position on Portland’s roster are Norman Powell, Robert Covington, Tony Snell, and Larry Nance Jr., none of whom should play the three-spot as their first position.

The Blazers have a Nassir Little-sized hole in their rotation and they desperately need him to grow to fill that gap.

Whether or not Little can be an effective role player could mean the difference between a nine-deep Blazers team that might have to feature Ben McLemore in spots or a complete Portland squad with two full lineups that will never have to rely on McLemore, barring injuries.

As I, Buckley, and numerous other basketball minds have regurgitated, Nas has every tool in the box necessary to be a star in this league one day. If his brain can catch up with his body, he’ll be much more than just a solid backup three.

With a refined jump shot, cultivated defensive responses, and a smarter internal shot chart, Little could compete for Most Improved Player next year.

Little has been outstanding so far in training camp, so much so that he’s earned a feature by the legendary Jason Quick. Let’s hope that he can earn rotation minutes in the upcoming season as well.