Portland Trail Blazers forward Nassir Little — one of the breakout young players in the league this season — will likely be out for the rest of the season with a left shoulder labral tear, sources told ESPN on Thursday.
The Blazers announced the injury without a timetable for his return, but the expectation is that Little’s injury has ended what has been a productive season.
Little, 21, suffered the injury in the Blazers’ loss to Minnesota on Tuesday night.
He has been a revelation in his third NBA season. The Blazers have gone 7-5 in January, with Little averaging 13.1 points and 7.5 rebounds on 45.4% shooting, including 40% on 3-pointers, for the month.
Little was the 25th overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft, and he has emerged with another young Blazers guard — Anfernee Simons — to take major steps for the franchise this season.
Portland has had several key injuries, including with guards Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.