Adding talent on the wing has been a goal of the Trail Blazers for the past few seasons. And thanks to an unexpected drop down the draft board, they moved closer to achieving that goal.

With the 25th pick, the Trail Blazers selected 6-7 freshman forward Nassir Little out of North Carolina. Little, who averaged 9.6 points on 48 percent shooting from the field and 27 percent shooting from three, 4.6 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.5 blocks and 0.5 steals in 18.2 minutes per game this season, wasn't expected to be available after the late lottery, let alone the 25th pick.

"I think it's a blessing in disguise," said Nassir. "Slipping down to 25, initially I was kind of confused, but looking at (Portland's) roster, remembering how they played in the playoffs, I actually think it's a really good fit for me. I think I contribute on the wing, playing off guards like Dame (Lillard) and CJ (McCollum), I think can help me as a player as well."

But when the 25th pick came and Little, a Top 10 prep recruit out of Orlando Christian Prep who was the MVP of both the McDonald's All-American Game and the Jordan Brand Classic, was still on the board, the Trail Blazers didn't hesitate.

"I was definitely anxious but all that anticipation definitely went away and I was so grateful to hear my name called," said Little. "It was definitely worth it."

Little struggled to carve out a defined role in his lone season at North Carolina, which, along with shooting a poor percentage from three, might have been the reason he dropped to late in the first round. But he said he's ready to put his struggles at UNC behind him in hopes of proving that at least 24 other teams made a mistake.

"It was tough for me, but I think I made the best of the situation I could," said Little. "I averaged almost 10 points and five rebounds in under 20 minutes. I think for anybody that's a high level of production in the minutes they're given. I think I had a limited role, I wasn't able to showcase myself as much as I wanted to, but I definitely think I'm going to be able to shock a lot of people in the NBA."

Little never worked out for the Trail Blazers in the run up to the draft, which makes sense considering where most projected him to go, though he is very familiar with at least one of his new teammates, as he got to know and competed against Anfernee Simons with both players playing high school ball in Orlando.

"We just played pickup like a week or two ago, so it's kind of crazy that we're going to be playing for the same team," said Lillte. "We played against each other in high school a little over two years ago, so I'm extremely excited. He's an extremely good shooter and a prolific scorer and I'm excited to get to work with him."

He won't have to wait long, as Little is expected to join Simons, Gary Trent Jr. and Skal Labissiere on the Trail Blazers' Las Vegas Summer League team. It'll be his first chance to prove the Trail Blazers made the right decision.

"I was expected to go in the lottery, but I was surprised the Blazers drafted me because I haven't really had much communication with them," said Little. "I didn't know they had much interest in me, didn't work out with them or meet with them at the combine, but I'm just fortunate that they saw something in me that others didn't see."