UNC Basketball: Is Nassir Little turning the corner?

The five-star recruit has been in the news all season regarding his production, or lack thereof, but this time it’s because his play is on the upswing.

After North Carolina’s victory over Harvard on Wednesday, it was another performance that has people talking about the upswing in production for Nassir Little.

The 6-foot-6 wing has now strung together back-to-back solid performances, shifting their narrative of Little’s inconsistent play to him being the x-factor in UNC possibly winning an ACC title.

Little said this to InsideCarolina after the Harvard victory:

"“You get more comfortable with more experience. . . Things get easier with time and that’s how it’s starting to be right now for me.”"

Little saw an increase in minutes on Wednesday after the news broke that Sterling Manley would be out with a knee injury. It’s unknown how much time Manley will miss, opening the door for Little to showcase his skills.

Playing 22 minutes, his second most on the season, Little finished with 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting and saw his first three fall since November 22nd against Texas. He also added seven rebounds, tying a season-high, showing how active he was on both ends of the floor.

More importantly than the stats, was how he got them.

Instead of seeing his points come off of rebound putbacks or fast break dunks, we saw the confidence flourish with Little playing within the Carolina half court offense.

Despite being able to get his points from all over the floor in high school whenever he wanted, there has been a learning curve at UNC for the Florida native, who seems much more confident in his abilities and how to utilize his skills to gain a mismatch.

Not only has his production on offense grown, but so has his presence on defense.

Head coach Roy Williams has been very critical of the freshman when it comes to his defensive play, but in the last two games, Little has shown just how versatile and important he can be on that end of the floor.

"“[Defense] is an area that has been a weakness for him, there’s no question,” Williams said. “I think that he was better tonight. He gave up two threes in a row to three-point shooters… but he has been trying much harder defensively. He’s such a great athlete. He was always able to do things because he wants to, so he’ll run hard and he’ll go over and block a shot or steal your ball or something like that."

As with a freshman in any program, they are often overloaded with information and schemes. In turn that can get them thinking more than playing, thus affecting their confidence.

We’ve already seen it, but as Little becomes more and more comfortable with the schemes on both ends, his athletic ability will be utilized even more.

As ACC play kicks off on Saturday, Little’s ability to come off the bench and play starter minutes will be even more crucial, particularly as Manley continues to sit. There’s no question non-conference play is a different animal than in conference, but if Little’s last two performances are examples of what the Tar Heels will get starting this weekend, then the potential for Carolina is through the roof – or should I say, the ceiling.

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