Makhi Mitchell's role continues to grow for Hoop Hogs
Year after year, Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman and his staff find a way to scout transfer portal talent and bring in difference makers. This year is no different.
On top of bringing in six freshman — three of which were McDonald's All-Americans — Musselman brought in five transfers. So far, all five of those have made an impact.
Wichita State transfer Ricky Council IV leads the SEC in scoring. Missouri transfer Trevon Brazile had a strong case for SEC Sixth Man of the Year before he went down with a torn ACL last Tuesday. Arizona State transfer Jalen Graham is one of the more talented scorers on the team.
And then there are Rhode Island transfers Makhi and Makhel Mitchell. The big men play two different roles, but they play them extremely well. Makhel averages just under nine minutes of play per game, but he's fared well in that time. His twin brother, Makhi, has turned into a key player for the Hogs, especially in the absence of Brazile.
"Unbelievable amount of growth (from Makhi)," Musselman said Wednesday. "Both sides of the basketball. He's starting to run a lot more dribble-handoffs then maybe even two or three weeks ago. He's playing out of the elbow a little more. I think early on he was just more of a screen-setter, and now we're starting to play through him a little bit because of his decision-making."
Makhi Mitchell saw a season-high 32 minutes in last Tuesday's win over UNC Greensboro after Brazile went down with the injury. He had his first double-double of the season with 13 points and 14 rebounds.
"I thought Makhi was really effective having a double-double," Musselman said after the UNC Greensboro game. "I thought he was a game-changer. I mean, the blocked shots, the protection of the rim, limiting our opponents tonight in paint points, he gets a ton of the credit for that."
In Saturday's 88-78 win over Oklahoma, Mitchell had 10 points, six rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal in 21 minutes. He is starting to find confidence offensively, and his defense continues to be elite.
"Against Oklahoma he made some great backdoor passes," Musselman said. "His defense, being able to block shots, being able to be a help defender, and against Oklahoma he was really good on the ball guarding his guys."
Mitchell has been in the starting five every game this season for Arkansas, which didn't always look to be the case preseason.
Musselman said when they scouted Mitchell in the transfer portal, they liked what they saw in his physical attributes.
"I mean, we saw his agility, his ability to move his feet when we watched film when he played at Rhode Island," Musselman said. "That's why we were really intrigued with him. But I just think he's been very, you know, he's adapted to our culture. Maybe early on it was, he was still trying to learn what the expectations are and things like that."
Arkansas will hit the road for North Little Rock on Friday ahead of Saturday's game against Bradley at Simmons Bank Arena. The game is slated to tipoff at 3 p.m. CT and it will not be televised.