The Little Engine that Could

[blackice]

Close to one half of the season, this young Raptors team finds itself in the playoff hunt. Some pundits had this team last and almost all thought this team had no shot at the playoffs and that may hold true - given our division, who knows. But this is clearly one of the best iterations of the team led by Justin Patton who is averaging 21/8/2 w/ 1.8 blks with Young anchoring the defense. Those two are the carry overs from previous teams. The perimeter looks completely different, but the guy I want to focus isn't Diallo who is having a great year putting up solid all around numbers as a top 2 option offensively. No the guy I want to talk about is Nassir Little.



Little is such a suffocating defensive presence and with a 6'6, 205 lbs frame he is not just a good defender - he's a great one. The coaching staff felt he hadn't scratched his potential as a passer and lead ball handler and thus moved him to starting PG. He's averaging 7/7/5 w/ 1.6 stls and his all around contributions have been the catalyst for this young team. He moves the ball, limits his shots and does the little things. Ask opposing point guards about Little and they'll tell you he's one of the best defenders in the league. Ask teammates and they'll tell you he's one of the most unselfish players they've played with.

Is he the next great defender, and is he a point guard longterm?

[rh0xxy]

Nice run. Reminds me of our last season with Davion at PG. The good thing about Little is he has the handles to play the point which Davion sorely lacks. It wouldn't really hurt if he stays there long term, imo. Good luck, man.

[Flaming Homer]

That was indeed a really good move to suit him up at PG! He shuts down the opposing guards but more important is not a weak spot in handling the ball.

[Andrewu91]

So far so good. I always had you as a potential play in team, but now you might even be the #7 seed in the East. If it works, keep it up.

[TheTwoWallaces]

Glad to see a former Piston playing well! Good luck with the playoff hunt -- hope you guys have a good run for a few seasons (just not in 2033 when I have your pick )

[Marcos_Beck]

Little at the point works because he has barely enough handles to manage the position and is very passive for a lead guard on offense

Toronto’s best playmaker in the starting lineup is Patton by far. He needs more touches and when Diallo plays the point, he doesn’t get it. With Little, he’s basically touching the ball more which can only be good for a team that needs its PF to be the primary playmaker.

Charlotte should really be watching this to use in the future with Jovic.

[GreenBear]

I think playing Little at the point is a great move, and I do think he can be the long-term answer. He has adequate handling for the position, enables other guys to get their touches, and is an excellent defender (which is especially valuable at PG).

36 games is a pretty good sample size, and 20-16 is really awesome. Especially given the bloodbath of a division Toronto plays in. You deserve a ton of recognition for how you have the Raps playing. You guys are on a tear right now too, 9-2 your last 11.

[hardenwithnod]

Yeah moving Little to PG is a very good move. He seems to be perfect as a guy that will just defer the ball to Patton on offense, and does a good job on defense. I feel like size actually matters in this engine, and I think Little's size is helping him out on the defensive end against the smaller guards.

[KW]

Yeah I like Little as a pass first PG, you have a tough defense for sure.

Like Marcos said, he's funnelling touches to Patton who is a higher volume scorer and a better passer... but where I disagree with him is I don't think that's a good thing as long as Patton is going to shoot 41% from the field on almost 20 shots.

[mgtr81]

He is certainly doing pretty well there. The only risk is that he may be taking more shots since he starts the offense and it's being highly inefficient. As long as that's under control, it's a good move.