Nassir Little Declares For 2019 NBA Draft

UNC forward Nassir Little is entering the 2019 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility and going pro, reports ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.

“I am declaring for the 2019 draft with the intention to start my NBA career,” Little told Givony. “I am going to work extremely hard throughout the pre-draft process and my entire career to continue to grow as a player and person. I feel like I have a very high ceiling as a player and I plan to reach that ceiling through consistent hard work.”

A highly-touted recruit a year ago, Little had an up-and-down freshman season at North Carolina, averaging 9.8 PPG and 4.6 RPG with a shooting line of .480/.269/.770. Last November, the young forward was grouped with top Duke prospects Zion Williamson and R.J. Barrett as a potential top-five pick, but he’ll likely fall a little further than that this spring.

Currently, Givony and Mike Schmitz have Little ranked 16th overall on their big board at ESPN.com, writing that the 6’6″ freshman has an “elite physical profile for a modern combo forward,” but also has a “limited feel for the game.”

According to Givony, Little will began to prepare for the pre-draft process right away and hopes to show teams that there’s more to his game than what they saw at UNC.

“I just want teams to see who I am as a player and person,” Little said. “I take a professional approach to everything I do, both on and off the court. I’m coachable. I am a good teammate. I think once everyone sees all these things and sees what I can do as a player, I’ll land in a great situation where I can grow and help a team win.”

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