Analysis: What Arkansas is getting in Arizona State transfer Jalen Graham

Arkansas added three transfers last week as the portal plunder is slowing down. With former Missouri forward Trevon Brazile already on board, the Razorbacks landed twin bigs Makhi and Makhel Mitchell from Rhode Island and Jalen Graham from Arizona State.

All four transfers are in the frontcourt, but not all them play the same way and they have different intangibles that make them great fits for what head coach Eric Musselman and his staff are looking for.

We’ve already taken a look at what Brazile and the Mitchell twins bring to the table, so now it’s time for HawgBeat to break down Graham, who checks the most boxes of the transfer haul…

High-Major Experience, Production

Every single player added so far has some experience playing for a high-major program, but the former Sun Devil has the most. Graham spent three years playing for Arizona State, appearing in 78 games with 43 starts.

Trevon Brazile, the former Missouri standout, is second in starts for a high-major program with 23 in 25 appearances in Columbia, Mo., while the Mitchells began their careers at Maryland before transferring to Rhode Island.

It’s not just the fact that Graham played big minutes and started for a high-major program, but also that he produced when given the opportunity.

As a freshman at Arizona State, the 6-foot-9 forward appeared in 28 of 31 total games, starting two of those. He averaged 3.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in just 10.9 minutes per game. That same year, though, his averages increased to 5.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 14.9 minutes on the 14 occasions he got double-digit minutes.

Additionally, his per-40 stats were near the top in relevant statistical categories that freshman season. Of the 10 players who played 300-plus minutes for the Sun Devils in 2019-20, Graham ranked fifth in points, second in rebounds and first in blocks per 40 minutes.

The production didn’t go unnoticed, as Graham became a regular starter in his second and third years, finishing his career in Tempe, Ariz., starting 41 of his final 50 games.

As a sophomore, the Phoenix native more than doubled his freshman season production, averaging 8.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks. His third year saw a dip in rebounding and block numbers, but a slightly increased scoring output — 9.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 0.9 blocks.