I can't agree with that, no. Not only does wingspan (with proper timing) helpful in offensive rebounding and tracking down errant passes or loose balls, just watch players like Ja Morant or prospect Kira Lewis' ability to extend as they attack the basket and get good shots past decent defense. It might not as be evident as it is on defense, but it's an asset.
And Paul George apparently (from when he was drafted anyway, I believe he grew). Nas is at 7'1.25. PG is at 6'11. Kawhi is 7'3 Luka is 7' Covington is 7'2 Harden is 6'11 Giannis was 7'3 when drafted, and obviously grew. Durant is at 7'5, which is insane. Lebron listed only at 7' Harkless at 7'2 Little's height was a bit low, but the winspan more than makes up for it. Nas is strong and has agile feet. He has all the tools to be a great defender. Just needs the right coaching/training to make the most of his physical skills. Actually looking through some of the combine stats, Nas compares really favorably to Kawhi physically, outside of Leonard's ridiculous hand size. https://stats.nba.com/draft/combine-anthro
They are basically the same position in modern basketball. Most players on that list can play both. NAS is a forward. He can play SF and PF. He wouldn't play SG as he doesn't have those skills.
The key for a possibly undersized PF is having enough rebounding and defense in the frontcourt. It appears NAS provides that.
ok then....the grass is getting real tall in this thread. PF morphs into C as much as it morphs into SF. So, not only will NAS defend AD and Giannis and Adebayo and Porzingis, he'll occasionally go against Jokic and Embiid. that would be the situation if he's a starter ?...how can you tell though? he had a 9.9% rebounding rate this season. That was lower than Tolliver and Hezonja had an 11% rate. Portland was severely outrebounded when those two were on the floor, especially when Tolliver was PF. Portland had a 45.2% rebound rate when Tolliver was PF. How bad is that? Well, Washington had the worst rebound rate in the league and they were at 47.8%
NAS is a second year player hoping to get backup minutes next year. He would take Hezonja and Tolliver minutes. He would be fine against opposing backup PF; if he is a legit rotational player. He could also play some at SF. He would never play at SG. Obviously he would not matchup against opposing starting centers. That is Nurk or Collins or whoever else the 3rd big is. Maybe there is a particular matchup or two such as Davis that NAS wouldn't play much PF. The Blazers could set a different rotation for those rare games if that is the case. However there are many more matchups like Miami or Boston where you need a smaller quicker defender such as NAS as opposed to two tall PF/C on the court at once. I swear half this board is still set on positions as though its the 1980s
that's true but again, my concern wasn't as much Little at SF, as it was the potential trio of Dame, CJ, and Little at the three perimeter positions. Even hedging a total 1.25" in Portland's favor, that's averaging 6'3 for those 3 perimeter positions. I don't care what Little's wingspan is, that is really small
As I said NAS plays either forward spot. Is Trent or Ariza or Hood or traded Middleton playing SF? Then he plays PF. Is Collins or Melo or traded LMA playing PF? Then NAS plays SF. Its about making a 5 man unit that has the right balance of D, rebounding, shooting, playmaking at once for the particular situation.
We can go round and round about how the position isn't played with the top of your head, but I don't see it going anywhere. Jaylen Brown is only .75" taller, smaller wingspan, similar weight. He plays a lot of SF. Justise Winslow is the same height. PLays a lot of SF. Jae Crowder plays a lot of 3 and 4. Same height. Less wingspan, similar weight. I mean shit, Draymond is only an inch taller. No way he should be a PF/C
one more time: the concern I expressed about Little as the starting SF that got everybody riled was the context of Dame/CJ/Little as three starters. That's really small overall Green is short for a PF, but he's a DPOY-level defender and excellent at running an offense; and he's usually on the floor with only one player smaller than 6'6. Boston plays a relatively small lineup, but Kemba is Dame's size while everybody else is generally in the 6'6-6'9 range. Smart is a utility player who doesn't have top-of-head height, as you put it, but he's really strong and a great defender in both those examples, we're talking about a bunch of 2-way players making those lineups work well (and several excellent ball-handlers and facilitators which Portland doesn't have). But at this point, we have no clue if Little can be a two-way player and we already know Dame and CJ aren't. That's what I'm questioning about Little as the starter, but you'd be right in saying that's not so much about Little as it is about the roster construction Crowder may be a good comp for Little though
