Blazers' Nassir Little suffers shoulder labral tear; season likely over, per report
Thu, Jan 27, 2022
NBA News (AP)
Portland Trail Blazers forward Nassir Little tore the labrum in his left shoulder in the fourth quarter of their game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Jan. 26, the team announced Thursday. This will likely end his season, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The Blazers have not announced a timetable for his return.
Little, who will turn 22 in February, has been in Portland's starting lineup since Dec. 8. He suffered the injury in the middle of a particularly strong stretch: In his last 12 games, he averaged 13.1 points and 5.7 rebounds and made 40.3 percent of his 3-pointers on 5.2 attempts per game.
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There have been endless trade rumors about the Blazers lately, and it is telling that virtually none of them have included Little. There are still questions about his ability to space the floor, but, if he can hit a respectable amount of his 3s, he profiles as the exact type of player they want on the next iteration of the team -- an athletic and versatile wing who rebounds as if he were taller and can make some secondary plays.
Damian Lillard, Portland's franchise player, is also potentially out for the season. Lillard recently had surgery to address an abdominal injury that had been bothering him for years.
The Blazers are 20-28 and 10th in the Western Conference. If the season ended today, they'd have the last spot in the play-in.