Atlanta Hawks: Reasons Nassir Little is a Top Draft Option

Strengths

Nassir Little has an NBA body and was at his best on the defensive end of the court. His versatility saw him often guard the opponent’s best player when on the floor, rather that player was a shooting guard, small forward, or power forward. He has the length and quickness to be a lock down on ball perimeter defender, once he improves his awareness. Little fared well as a weak side shot blocking help defender and was disruptive in the passing lanes also. He’s a terrific transition player on both ends of the court and finishes with a flair that gets crowds out of their seats. Little’s leaping ability and his cutting skills off ball, make him a good lob catcher. He also is very good on the both the offense and defensive boards, for a small forward. When a dunk opportunity presents itself, Nassir attacks the rim with ferocity and power. He is able to finish through contact, yet also has finesse when driving to the basket. He uses a soft floater to finish inside, when unable to get all the way to the rack. Little is a very active player, who plays hard and hustles consistently.

Weaknesses

While Nassir Little has a lot of natural talent, he definitely has deficiencies. He needs improve his handle and ball security. He needs to add a change of pace dribble to his game and improve at making plays for his teammates. Little certainly needs to improve as a shooter, but he has good form and is a better shooter than the 27 percent he shot at UNC last season. He has the ability to shoot off the bounce, but it is a skill that he needs to perfect. Nassir needs to improve his shooting from the left side of the floor. Most importantly he needs to get better at making contested jump shots. Little also needs to get stronger to bang inside when he plays power forward. This will also help him be even better, when attempting to finish through contact. Increasing his strength will also help Little shoot from deep range with less effort. He could also improve his shot selection. The best way for Nassir to do this, is by having more confidence in his three-point shot. He doesn’t take a bunch of terrible shots, but gets in trouble when passing up wide open threes, to take a more difficult contested two point field goal attempt.

ESPN offers us a good look at the good and bad with Nassir Little in this scouting video, provided by their YouTube Channel: