The Trail Blazers' Second Unit Needs Nassir Little
The Trail Blazers set a franchise record by draining 24 three-pointers. Their 68.0 percent team-wide true shooting percentage was a season-high. Six Blazers scored at least 11 points. Not a single one of Carmelo Anthony's 10 made baskets hit the rim. Robert Covington had a season-high 21 points, and also chipped in 10 rebounds, two steals and two blocks – his best performance in a Portland uniform.
But the most significant takeaway from the Blazers' runaway victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night wasn't accurately captured by the box score. Nassir Little not only played 20 minutes against Charlotte, his third-highest total of the season, but found a new place in Terry Stotts' rotation with the second unit – one that changes the dynamic of Portland's bench.
Little entered Monday's game with just over four minutes left in the first quarter, roughly the same time he did in recent losses to Phoenix, Denver and the Lakers. But instead of being pulled before the quarter finished or when its clock struck zeroes, his stint continued well into the second quarter as part of the Blazers' reserve unit. Stotts' substitution pattern played out the same way in the second half, too.
That change may prove a one-game blip, implemented to best matchup with LaMelo Ball and the Hornets' small-ball reserve unit. When Anthony, Covington and Rodney Hood don't have it going from the perimeter, the bench lineup that opens second and fourth quarters for Portland would likely be better off with Gary Trent Jr. retaking Little's place, at least in the short-term.
Regardless, Monday's game laid bare that Little stabilizes the Blazers' second unit on both ends of the floor in a way that's sorely needed.
He shouldered the responsibility of guarding Ball to begin most possessions, but regularly switched onto bigger and smaller players as needed. Portland has embraced switching to a new degree this season, especially when utilizing bench lineups. With Little playing next to Anthony, Covington and Hood rather than Trent, though, the Blazers had four like-sized defenders on the floor instead of three, allowing for more seamless switches on the ball and more aggressive, threatening help behind it.
Look how quickly Little and Anthony switch this step-up screen from Miles Bridges for Ball, not just preventing a lob dunk from the league's most exhilarating alley-oop tandem, but creating a scoring opportunity in transition.
Little's presence similarly clarifies the roles and playing style of Portland's bench lineup on the other side of the ball.
It's no secret that a quintet featuring Anthony, Hood, Simons and Trent lacks for playmaking. Playing small often leads to the defense switching across several positions, too, further indulging the one-on-one tendencies of thirsty, score-first players.
Little obviously isn't breaking his man down off the dribble and diming teammates up, or even making high-level passing reads in the flow of the offense. But there's always value to be gleaned from even the most basic quick, assertive decision-making, especially when playing with multiple teammates whose instincts for wasted dribbles and holding the ball regularly bogs down the offense.
Little went 2-of-4 from three against Charlotte, further validating the major shooting strides that have been evident all season. He's launching from deep with immense confidence, showing effortless footwork and a repeatable if somewhat elongated stroke. Even Little's misses from deep look good. At 16-of-31 from three on the season, it's only a matter of time until defenses close-out hard to Little beyond the arc, activating his off-dribble game.
A live-wire athlete who checks multiple positions, quickly moves the ball and serves as a viable threat from three is exactly what the Blazers have long been missing. Little isn't a star, and is still in the early stages of his growth. He won't prove Portland's wing panacea overnight. But the margins matter for a team like the Blazers, and Little's two-way dynamism and comfort within his role helps smooth out Portland's rough edges.
Stotts, notoriously preferential to veterans, will have some very difficult rotation choices to make when C.J. McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic finally return to the floor. The hardest one will be cutting the minutes of a proven vet who the Blazers promised a significant role. Given the pace of his development and the nature of Portland's weaknesses, though, Little seems poised to force Stotts' hand.