There haven’t been a ton of great #9s, Thunder Dan, Rondo, Iggy and Tony Parker come to mind first and of course the best Blazer 9 of all time...Danny Ainge
I'm a Tennessee Titans fan and grew up idolizing Steve McNair so 9 was my favorite number as a kid. Might have to grab a Little jersey! It's been a while since I bought one anyway.
As a Duck fan Ive watched a lot of Titans football the last few years. Mariota’s not durable enough and turns it over too much, also the front office there is a complete mess. Every year a new OC its like a 101 course in how to screw up a young qb.
...did anyone ever share the source of the pre-draft rumors about Nas Lil and his work ethic/motor? Is it possible that Neil Olshey planted this misinformation that spread throughout the league?
Some perspective from The Daily Tar Heel: https://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2019/07/nassir-little-draft-fit
As a UNC fan, those expecting Nas to contribute this year are going to be sadly mistaken. Nas is a player who dominated at the high school level due to his size and athleticism. He struggled to adjust at UNC because he was not more athletic and bigger than everybody. It would have helped him to return to UNC, become the man, and learn how to score at that level. For the most part his buckets at UNC were open dunks or put backs. Going to the NBA means that he is now going to be increasing the athleticism and size that he faces. As it stands right now, his jump shot is not where it needs to be to play and he cannot consistently beat players of similar athleticism off the dribble. In terms of his defense, he tends to get lost off ball, he struggles to stay in front of quicker players, and can be foul prone. Nas is a guy who needs a redshirt season in the league where he can just work on his jump shooting. Knocking down the corner 3 and becoming a better, smarter defender will be the key to his development, but it will take a mindset change. Nas cannot just bully his way to the basket like he did in high school and he has to understand that what this team needs is a 3D wing next to their scoring guards. I know much of this post seems negative, but I truly believe Nas is a guy who is two years away from contributing. If you look at his final game in college, you see a guy struggling with similar size from Auburn. His shot was blocked frequently in the game and he lacked confidence in his jump shot most of the season. I know most were excited to see he fell so late in the draft especially since he was so highly rated out of high school, but Skal was rated similarly coming out of high school. It will take patience for Nas to become the guy everyone thinks he can be.
The Blazers are great at dealing with young guys. I’d be willing to bet that they handle Little the same way they did Simons last year. The only time he’s going to sniff the court will be in garbage time. He’s going to be working his ass off behind the scenes learning how to play the game. He’ll probably get a stint or two of G League play. Look for him to make the jump a year or two down the road.
The other #9 s are : Gerald Henderson, Elliot Williams, Raef LaFrentz, Rick Brunson, and Ruben Nembhard.
I get the sense that Little would be another Kwame Brown if not for the one-and-done era. (There's a sobering thought for GMs when the rule goes away.) The game was too fast for Kwame's physical tools to do him much good. Still, he would have been good value late in the 1st round, and the [much] lower expectations would surely have helped him develop somewhat to his potential.