Arkansas preview for 2023 NBA Draft
Arkansas basketball is looking at having potentially four players drafted in the 2023 NBA Draft — a feat that has only been accomplished one other time in program history.
Head coach Eric Musselman and his staff have built a program that is developing a strong track record of getting players to the NBA and this year's draft will make the foundation for that stronger than ever.
Three McDonald's All-American freshmen — Anthony Black, Nick Smith Jr. and Jordan Walsh — are looking at having their dreams come true, while Wichita State transfer Ricky Council IV used his one year in Fayetteville to spring him onto plenty of draft boards for NBA teams looking for an extremely athletic guard.
"I'm not sure that everybody completely understands the significance of this," Musselman said in an interview with SiriusXM NBA Radio. "I don't think there's any doubt, especially when you think about three freshmen, three guys that would be one and dones, along with the transfer in Ricky Council. I'm hopeful that this helps in recruiting for future years."
Black is commonly projected as a top-10 pick, which would make him the first Hog since Joe Johnson in 2001 to be taken within the first 10 picks of the draft. The 6-foot-7 point guard averaged 12.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.1 steals per game as a freshman.
"From a point guard position, you're not going to find a better rebounder at his position," Musselman said. "He's really, really, really unselfish. He does some things just is better than anyone else in the draft. I mentioned the rebounding. He's an excellent shot-blocker for his position. He had 22 shots blocked at the point guard position to go along with 74 steals.
"Probably the most impressive number of all is his 34.8 minutes that he averaged. I mean, you're talking about a college freshman that played the most difficult position at a unique size, so he's getting pressure by small point guards, but yet he plays 35 minutes per night, which led the SEC."
While he was viewed as a top-10 prospect prior to the 2022-23 season, Smith seems to have fallen out of the lottery in most projections. A right knee injury limited him to 17 games in his lone year with Arkansas, but one team will be lucky to grab him in the second half of the first round.
"He had legitimate injuries," Musselman said. "Got hurt overseas in our fourth game. We took an overseas tour. He was absolutely phenomenal in our first three and a half games. The game that he got hurt, as a unit, Nick in particular, playing at a really, really high level.
"Then he got re-injured a few months later. He only got to play 17 games with us, but he did average 25.8 minutes a game. He can knock down the three ball. He can play the point and the off-guard. I think teams need to understand that he is a great ball-handler."
Musselman added that fans and scouts didn't get to see the true Nick Smith Jr. during the 2022-23 season.
"I think he's a guy that if you pass him up, he has the potential to have star quality once he gets into an NBA organization," Musselman. "I think once fully healthy, which he is right now, he's going to do a great job in the interviews. He's got great personality. He's an incredibly hard practice player and his competitive nature is at a high, high level."
Walsh didn't stand out as much as maybe he expected during his one year with the Razorbacks, but his NBA Draft Combine showing and pre-draft workouts have moved him into the top part of the second round in most projections.
"He's an excellent rebounder for his position," Musselman said about Walsh at the NBA Combine. "A very, very unselfish player and I think he showed those skills that he has. Being unselfish, moving without the basketball and being a range rebounder. He does a great job rebounding out of his area."
Council made the most of his opportunity at Arkansas by leading the team in scoring as a junior with an average of 16.1 points per game. He earned Coaches and AP Second Team All-SEC honors after he scored in double figures in 31 of 36 games for Arkansas in 2022-23.
"Ricky is a guy that he's one of the best athletes in the draft," Musselman said at the NBA Draft Combine. "He can really, really score the basketball. He's a very good defender. A guy that can really draw free throws. And his game goes to a whole other level when you can get him in isolation situations or if you can get out in transition. He's an incredible finisher on the break."
Musselman said he, his wife Danyelle and his son Michael — who serves as Director of Basketball Operations — will all be in New York for the draft, along with Black and Smith, who both received green room invites. Assistant coach Keith Smart will be in Texas with Walsh and his family for the draft, according to Musselman.
Below are details on how to watch the NBA Draft on Thursday evening, notes and tidbits on Arkansas players being drafted and headlines...
How to watch the 2023 NBA Draft
Who: Arkansas basketball's Anthony Black, Jordan Walsh, Nick Smith Jr. and Ricky Council IV
When: 7 p.m. CT - Thursday, June 22
Where: Barclays Center - Brooklyn, New York
Stream/Online: ABC or ESPN
Notes
~ Arkansas has had three players selected in the NBA Draft, one in each of Musselman's first three seasons. Isaiah Joe was taken in the second round of the 2020 draft by the 76ers, Moses Moody went 14th overall to the Warriors in 2021 and Jaylin Williams was a second round selection by the Thunder in the 2022 draft.
~ The Razorbacks have had a player selected in four straight drafts. The streak will be extended to five on Thursday, making that the second longest streak in program history — The longest was eight drafts in a row from 1978-1985.
~ Arkansas has had just six lottery picks since the lottery began in 1985 — Joe Klein (1985, No. 6), Todd Day (1992, No. 8), Corliss Williamson (1995, No. 13), Joe Johnson (2001, No. 10), Ronnie Brewer (2006, No. 14) and Moses Moody (2021, No. 14).
~ The Razorbacks have had 41 total NBA draft picks since 1950 and 13 of those went in the first round.
~ The Sacramento Kings have drafted more Arkansas players (6) than any other NBA team. The Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs are tied for second with four Hogs drafted each. The Dallas Mavericks and Milwaukee Bucks have both selected three Arkansas players and the rest of the teams either have one or two.