Could Arkansas have the most talented roster in the country?
Eric Musselman has quickly become one of college basketball’s most recognizable social media members. His Twitter presence is very interactive, and you can find an array of Ads, hype videos, and some behind-the-scenes looks at the team and program.
Musselman is in his fourth season at Arkansas. He is coming off a 28-9 season and his second consecutive run to the Elite Eight. Musselman has won 20 or more games each of his three seasons at the helm of the Razorbacks.
Musselman welcomes 11 new players to its roster this season, six freshmen and five transfers. All five projected starts are new to the program. Even with so many new faces, the talent is clear for this roster. Anthony Black, Nick Smith, and Jordan Walsh were all McDonald’s All-Americans last season. His class finished third in the 2022 On3 Team Rankings.
Musselman was also the head coach of the Golden State Warriors for two seasons and the Sacramento Kings for a season. When you add the records of his four seasons at Nevada, Musselman has won 74.7 percent (183-62) of his college games.
This team may be Musselman’s most interesting. He has built excitement and expectations around the program, and despite having 11 new players, this roster could have the most talent he has put on a collegiate floor.
Starting five
PG Anthony Black
Height/Weight: 6-7/200
Class: Freshman
2021-22 stats: was at Duncanville (TX) High
Anthony Black took huge steps in his final two years of high school. As a sophomore, Black was also a high major wide reciever recruit carrying over 15 offers from the likes of Baylor, Arkansas, Cincinnati, and Colorado, among others. He decided to give up football and focus solely on basketball, and he took off.
Unranked at the time, Black ended up a consensus five-star and a McDonald’s All-American. The fluid, 6-foot-7 guard chose Arkansas over Gonzaga. Black is a unique prospect who is probably best suited to play as a team’s primary initiator. Black led the u18 USA Basketball in assists this summer, averaging 4.2 per game.
While the scoring aspect is still developing, Black does have a confident form. The balance is where the consistency will need to continue growing; strength and reps should help here. Black has natural instincts and toughness both as a team defender and rebounder. While making to run to gold in the u18 FIBA Americas this summer, Black finished second on the team in rebounds, 7.8 per game, and tied for first in steals, 1.7 per game.
As you can imagine, with only playing basketball full time for two years, Black still has some ceiling to grow into. But there is a unique skill set, with his size, vision, and ability to accumulate secondary stats, that lends itself to winning now. Blacks’ father, Terry, played basketball at Baylor, where he is in the Athletic Hall of Fame. His mother, Jennifer, played soccer at Baylor.
SG Nick Smith
Height/Weight: 6-5/185
Class: Freshman
2021-22 stats: was at Little Rock (AR) North Little Rock High
Nick Smith enters his first college season at Arkansas with a lot of hype surrounding his name. Perhaps no one in the high school game did more with the post-season all-star games than Smith. Many are now talking about him as a lottery pick.
Smith’s frame pops off the page immediately. He has long arms and plays with a lot of pop. Offensively, Smith has a very crafty handle with a keen awareness of where his comfort spots are on the floor. Most of the time, he likes getting to the mid-range, where his game can be deadly. In traffic, Smith can struggle to finish at the rim. The jump shot from three can also get streaky. However, Smith has an assortment of weapons in the mid-range; touch, footwork, catch and shoot, and pull-ups; it is where he has scored most effectively. Especially with his handle getting him to his spots.
When he is engaged, Smith carries a lot of upside as a team defender. Once he gets caught up to the speed, Smith’s upside in the passing lanes could lead to a lot of quick transition buckets and some possible high-flying dunks. On the ball, Smith will need to continue adding weight. His quick twitch and length may help him, especially in college, but with someone his size, there could be some inconsistent nights guarding in the half-court.
The talent is undeniable. Do not be surprised if there are some early inconsistencies, but Musselman has proven to be one of the best in getting his players to peak at the end of the season.
F Jordan Walsh
Height/Weight: 6-7/210
Class: Freshman
2021-22 stats: was at Branson (MO) Link Academy
Jordan Walsh is a connector piece, able to help in winning due to his length and high motor. Walsh moves very well and has natural instincts on the floor. The McDonald’s All-American is a good team defender, especially when pressing and aggressively playing in the passing lanes. He is also an effective offensive rebounder.
Offensively, Walsh is at his best in transition. He switches ends, defense to offense, as quickly as anyone. And he gets out to fill the lanes in transition with a purpose. Walsh attacks the basket in straight lines, and he has the strength to take contact as he tries to get up on the rim. Walsh’s jump shot can be a little mechanical; he will need to iron out some fundamental pieces to have it become a consistent threat. He also will need to develop off the bounce, adding some counters when defenders beat him to spots.
While his game will still be growing during his time at Arkansas, there are a lot of winning pieces to what Walsh consistently brings to the table.
F Jalen Graham
Height/Weight: 6-9/225
Class: Senior
2021-22 stats: 9.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 48.6% FG
Eric Musselman has shown at Arkansas he loves size at each position. But possibly, more than positional size, he likes fluidity. Not only guys who can move and switch, but also guys who are able to play – and guard – multiple positions.
Jalen Graham played his first three seasons of college ball at Arizona State, where he averaged 1.2 blocks per game and accumulated a 2.8 defensive box plus minus in 78 games played and 43 starts. Offensively, Graham can play with his back to the basket or as a vertical floor spacer. Typically, Musselman has liked his fours to cut off ball with the ball handler, rim runs for lobs, or play out of the dunker spots on the floor. Graham, can do this and create a situation where his man has to stay connected to him and not help off on penetration because of Graham’s ability to go high for lobs and finish.
Defensively, Graham has good feet and fluidity, which allows him to show and retreat or to slide on switches. He also has burst and natural timing as a shot blocker. Synergy says that Graham’s the 0.665 points Graham’s primary cover scored per possession last season was in the 92nd percentile among his peers.
C Travon Brazile
Height/Weight: 6-10
Class: Sophomore
2021-22 stats: 6.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.9 blocks, 53.4% FG
For every team that presses, that gets up and down the floor, and tries to create havoc defensively, you have to have rim protection. Despite only playing 21.1 minutes per game last season, Travon Brazile finished third in the SEC with 1.9 blocks per game.
Only a freshman playing for a Missouri team that finished 12th in the SEC, Brazile finished 9th in the conference in rebound percentage (14.0) and second in block percentage (9.9). These are stellar numbers for anyone, let alone an unranked college freshman who only played 52.8 percent of each game.
While Brazile is an efficient offensive player, he is still figuring that piece of his game out. He did knock down 11-of-33 three-point attempts last season, but Musselman should play him toward his strengths this season, which will be a lot of lobs and rime runs in the screen and roll.
Brazile fits with what Musselman has traditionally wanted from this position. But, like a sculptor with an excellent piece of clay, there is still a lot of molding to do with an incredible amount of potential here.
Bench
Davonte Davis is the lone returner of note from last season’s 28-win team. The slashing 6-3 junior wing brings an understanding of the system along with some perimeter defense. Davis finished top 15 in the SEC in steals, defensive box plus minus, and defensive win shares last season.
The Mitchell twins, Makhel and Makhi, will be interesting in how they fit. There is no denying their talent, but the pair of Rhode Island transfers both tipped the scales last season at 235-plus. They both have good hands, and Makhel showed he can score on the block and protect the rim. But can they play at the speed Musselman likes and switch defensively in the way past Arkansas teams have?
Ricky Council, IV comes in with a scorer’s acumen. The Wichita State transfer averaged 18.0 points per 40 minutes last season while shooting 50.2 percent from two and 84.9 percent from the free throw line. If he can get up to speed defensively, there should be some time for him behind the burger boys.
Despite having 11 new players, there is depth on this Arkansas team. The Mitchell twins can allow the Razorbacks to play slower in the half-court, but Davis and Council are a pair of explosive wings who can continue to press and go. While very good long-term talents, anything out of the other three freshmen this season will be a bonus.
Two things I know
This team is filled with talent.
Nick Smith, Travon Brazile, and Anthony Black will all be playing under the watchful eye of NBA scouts this season. Jordan Walsh has been talked about with an NBA future, and then Jalen Graham and Ricky Council will each be interesting cases to see how things break.
Sure they are mostly new, but this team has pro talent. The magic act that Musselman and staff will have in front of them is creating an atmosphere of competition. If they get the buy-in from each player, this team has Final Four upside.
This team will be fun.
It all starts at the top. Musselman has become one of the most recognizable faces in the college game. Not because of his NBA pedigree and coaching ability but because he has so much fun with social media.
But Musselman is also a coach who, when he trusts them, will give his players freedom to go make plays. That free-flowing style leads to some really fun nights. This team has a depth of guards and wings who are high flying and can create in the half-court.
He also has a depth of players who can switch and play interchangeably on the defensive end, which can lead to some exciting above-the-rim plays in transition. One thing is for sure, the fans will be packed into Bud Walton Arena, and there will be excitement surrounding this team.
Two things I wonder
How quickly can this team gel?
No one in the projected starting lineup was on the Arkansas team last year. And three of them were high school seniors. Sure, this lineup has pro talent throughout it, but chemistry can be everything in college basketball.
This team has the upside to be a stellar defensive unit while also having the creativity and confidence to create offense from multiple spots on the floor. However, there should be some early growing pains as each player gets used to one another.
Musselman has a long-standing reputation for having his players play their best at the season’s end. While the ceiling is very high for this team, relying on so many new players, who are young, things could also unravel pretty quickly.
How will the roles on this team play out?
Arkansas brought in 11 new players, with five of them being upperclassman transfers. Those guys look for new schools with the intention of playing. Musselman has never been one to shying away from playing his best players, as the cream will always rise to the top. Arkansas seemed to be at its best when Musselman moved Davonte Davis to a sixth-man role in early January. Ricky Council also played a sixth-man role last season at Wichita State. Will they be ok with backing up three freshmen over the course of their junior seasons?
This is the Mitchell twins’ third stop; they started at Maryland for a season and then two years at Rhode Island. How do they fit into the lineup, and will they be ok with it? While there are roles on this team for everyone, will the older guys buy in, especially if there are some early growing pains while the freshmen get acclimated?