Arkansas guard Anthony Black declares for 2023 NBA Draft

Freshman Arkansas guard Anthony Black is off to the pros. According to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, Black will forgo his remaining eligibility and put his name in the 2023 NBA Draft, where he’s very likely to be a first round pick after a terrific lone season in Fayetteville.

While the ’23 Arkansas team ended up making another run to the second weekend like the ’22 and ’21 teams, this year’s group suffered far more ups and downs and weren’t nearly as consistent in the regular season. However, one of the few consistent contributors who actually remained healthy was Anthony Black.

He took over point guard duties for the most part, was the team’s second-leading scorer and also its best perimeter defender. This Hogs team was always flawed — it lacked guards even before Smith went down, and Eric Musselman just had to play Davonte Davis and Anthony Black every minute he could. Those two each averaged more than 35 minutes per game this year, with Black leading the way by a smidge.

He may have been a freshman but Anthony Black really held that Arkansas team together as a freak athlete with a guard’s game in a forward’s body. He’ll be a lottery pick in a few months.

More on the 2023 NBA Draft

The 2023 NBA Draft is set to take place on Thursday, June 22, 2023, in Brooklyn at Barclays Center. Round 1 of the draft will be announced by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, while Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum is expected to handle the second round of picks.

To be eligible for the NBA Draft, players must be at least 19 years in age during the calendar year that the draft is held and at least one NBA season from their high school graduation date, or the date that would have been if they are not graduated. It is not required that player spend that one year playing college basketball, though. Players can play in either college, abroad, or the G League Ignite if they choose so.

While this is a significant change from what the rules once were, players are eligible to enter their names into the NBA Draft pool and explore their options by hiring an agent to go through the process, while still keeping their college eligibility. The deadline to make that move is on April 23 beginning at 11:59 p.m. ET. Players have until June 12 at 5 p.m. ET to withdraw their name from the pool and return to college.

The NBA Draft Lottery will be held on May 16, which is also the start of the NBA Conference Finals.