Blazers’ Nassir Little ‘Healthiest He’s Felt’ After Returning vs. Mavs

Portland Trail Blazers forward Nassir Little returned to action against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday after missing more than six weeks with a right femoral head impaction fracture. He scored 10 points and notched two blocks in his first game of January.

After the game, reporters asked Little about how he felt on the court.

So, how’d it feel to be back out there?

It felt good, man. Just, you know, super excited to be back out there. I felt good, felt, you know, the healthiest that I’ve felt since – sh*t – before last season, so I was more so excited about that more than anything. Just to be able to move freely and just have fun.

You talk about the injury and obviously it’s HIPAA, but it sounds like you feel better now maybe than you felt at the beginning of this season. Like, is it time or?

Yeah, just, you know, I was still – that core injury, it was a really tough injury to recover from. As you come back it’s kind of like, it’s very up and down because it kind of has to get worse before it gets better because it’s so bounded that you got to kind of like, essentially, like, rip it to, like, get it, you know what I’m saying? So, it hurts but even when I got hurt initially, I always look at the positive side of things. I looked at it as a moment to just rejuvenate, you know, recollect and give myself more time to get back right, and I think I just approached it the right way.

Little refers to the core muscle surgery he underwent in May of 2022, the recovery from which was extended and arduous. Now healthy once again, and feeling better than before, he should be ready to contribute nightly for the team.