Blazers Forward Nassir Little Undergoes Abdominal Surgery; When Will He Return?

Portland Trail Blazers forward Nassir Little underwent successful surgery yesterday to repair a core muscle injury, according to a release from the team.

According to the release, the injury won’t affect Little’s return to play timeline related to his Feb. 1 left shoulder surgery.

Little’s 2021-22 season ended on Jan. 25 when he suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder against the Minnesota Timberwolves, resulting in the February surgery. The team announced after the shoulder surgery Little was expected to make a full recovery prior to training camp ahead of the 2022-23 season.

Prior to the shoulder injury, Little was averaging career highs with 9.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 25.9 minutes per game. In his 42 appearances during the season, Little started in 23 games and shot 33.1% from beyond the arc.

The statistical increases were noticeable jumps for the 22-year-old. Little averaged 4.6 points and 2.7 rebounds in 13.3 minutes per game, while starting in two games during the 2020-21 season.

His athleticism and size at 6-5, along with his defensive prowess, were valuable to a Portland squad which has long been critiqued as “undersized” and surrendered the fourth-most points per game in the NBA this past season.

Now, Little will prepare to heal and hope to make a return at the start of training camp.