UNC Basketball: Nassir Little a 2019 NBA lottery pick?

Nassir Little just enrolled at UNC, but he may soon be a lottery pick

To say that Tar Heel fans are excited about the arrival of incoming freshman Nassir Little would be a tremendous understatement. Over the last few months, Little has become one of the most highly anticipated freshman in the history of the North Carolina basketball program.

He’s certainly brought as much fan fare with him as I can remember a player bringing in recent years, and that includes Harrison Barnes. Yes, it’s gotten to that level. And maybe it’s at least partially because of the team’s recent difficulties recruiting five-star players.

The program hadn’t signed a top-five prospect since Barnes in 2010. In 2017, Tony Bradley became the first one-and-done North Carolina player since Brandan Wright left Chapel Hill for the NBA Draft in 2007.

But with the addition of Little to the Tar Heels’ 2018 recruiting class, all of that changed. Little is not only the team’s highest-rated high school prospect in eight years, but a likely one-and-done player and potential NBA lottery pick.

So likely, in fact, that many analysts and draft experts have already projected him as a top-five pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. Rivals recruiting analyst Eric Bossi, in particular, thinks very highly of Little, projecting him as the No. 2 pick in next year’s draft.

Here’s what Bossi had to say about Little, and why he believes the UNC freshman will be selected so high in the draft:

"“[He’s] a physical and athletic monster with shooting touch to the three-point line,” Bossi said. “Little went from nice-looking but somewhat undersized power forward prospect to a wing drawing Kawhi Leonard comparisons in just a year. He checks all the boxes of a modern NBA player and his upward trajectory has been tough to ignore.”"

That’s high praise for a player that none of us have seen step foot on a college basketball court yet. And it also begs the question of how North Carolina will replace such a player if he leaves after a single season in Chapel Hill.

"“The Heels have been hot after five-star combo forward types like Matthew Hurt and Keion Brooks and freshman Rechon Black could also help pick up some of the slack if Little leaves after just a year,” Bossi said."

Joining Little in the Tar Heels’ 2018 freshman class is five-star combo guard Coby White and four-star point guard Rechon Black. The highly touted freshman trio, combined with returning starters Luke Maye, Kenny Williams and Cameron Johnson, have the Tar Heels in a good position to compete for another national championship in 2019.

Next: Tar Heels' 2019 class could look a lot like this...

Stick with Keeping It Heel throughout the entire offseason for updates on Little, his teammates and everything North Carolina basketball.

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