Nassir Little averaged 9.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game last season.
Portland Trail Blazers forward Nassir Little had reportedly agreed to a four-year, $28 million extension with the team, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Little appeared in 42 games last season for the Blazers, averaging 9.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
Little showed tremendous progress a season ago before a season-ending shoulder injury in January, but is fully recovered and now lands a fully-guaranteed $28M extension ahead of the Monday deadline. https://t.co/4vtDbXU2MS
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 17, 2022
Portland dealt with a myriad of injuries in 2021-22 and Little succumbed to one in January when a torn labrum in his left shoulder ended his campaign and required surgery in February. However, he took advantage of increased playing time before that and averaged 13.1 ppg and 5.7 rpg in January as injuries befell much of Portland’s roster.
Little, 22, is entering his fourth NBA season after being selected by the Blazers with the 25th overall pick in the 2019 draft out of North Carolina.
The Blazers went 27-55 last season, their worst finish since 2005-06 when they won 21 games. Over the course of the season, the Blazers used 34 different starting lineups. The Portland starting lineup for 2022-23 seems set with Damian Lillard, Anfernee Simons, Jusuf Nurkic and Jerami Grant filling in roles.
Little, Josh Hart and Justise Winslow all competed for minutes at the small forward spot throughout the preseason and which one starts the season-opener remains somewhat unknown. The Blazers visit the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday (10 ET, NBA League Pass) to open their 2022-23 campaign.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
