Nassir Little 'likely' done for the season with shoulder tear

Portland Trail Blazers small forward Nassir Little (9) shoots the ball past Minnesota Timberwolves power forward Jarred Vanderbilt (8) Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Trail Blazers' Nassir Little 'likely' done for the season with shoulder labral tear

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 1/27/22

Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard has missed 19 games this season and isn't due back anytime soon due to an abdominal injury. Fellow backcourt mate CJ McCollum was sidelined for over one month earlier this season with a collapsed lung and only recently returned.

Now, another top player on the squad might miss the rest of the regular season.

Little had shown dramatic improvement this season, especially in January: He averaged 13.1 PPG, 7.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and shot 45.4 percent from field and 40 percent on 3's in month. His last 2 games: 19.5 points and 7.5 rebounds on 15-for-22 shooting, including 6-for-9 3's. https://t.co/8FHLHModMx
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 27, 2022

According to a team release, Little's injury occurred in the fourth quarter of Portland's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday. The Trail Blazers are currently 10th in the Western Conference standings at 20-28.

Little was selected 25th overall by Portland in the 2019 NBA Draft and has steadily improved with more playing time over his first three seasons. In 42 games including a career-high 23 starts this season, the 21-year-old has posted career-best numbers in points (9.8), rebounds (5.6), assists (1.3) and minutes per contest (25.9), among other categories.

Little has recorded a .460/.331/.734 shooting line and has contributed his second, third and fourth career double-doubles this season as well. The Blazers next play the Houston Rockets at 8 p.m. ET on Friday.

More must-reads: