Arkansas freshman point guard Anthony Black will look to become the first Razorback to be a top-10 draft pick since 2001 at the NBA Draft on Thursday evening .
Former Hog Joe Johnson was selected with the 10th pick by the Boston Celtics in the 2001 NBA Draft. Johnson became the sixth Arkansas player to be a top-10 pick and Black is shaping up to be the seventh.
Following a freshman season in which he averaged 12.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.1 steals per game, Black's name is commonly showing up in the range of picks 6-10. The three teams associated with Black the most are the Washington Wizards at No. 8, the Orlando Magic at No. 6 and the Utah Jazz at No. 9.
Razorback head coach Eric Musselman joined Rick Kamla of SiriusXM NBA Radio on Tuesday to talk about Black and the other three Hogs projected to be drafted.
"'I'm not sure that everybody completely understands the significance of this," Musselman said. "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 and fellow freshman Nick Smith Jr. are looking at being first round picks, while freshman Jordan Walsh and Wichita State transfer Ricky Council IV are projected to be second rounders.
The size, toughness and durability of Black — a 6-foot-7 native of Duncanville, Texas — are what make him a bonafide top-10 prospect.
"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."
According to Musselman, a former NBA head coach, the words "durability" and "availability" have become very prevalent in conversations with NBA executives.
"They want players that are available and that have durability, because quite frankly, there's been a lot of NBA players that this availability is starting to become a concern," Musselman said. "Anthony is able to play through injuries. He's got a body that can withstand physicality in the NBA game. An incredible bright future. A lot of the mock drafts have him at seven, eight. We're hopeful that somebody even maybe before that sees the great value, potential and upside with Anthony Black."
Some services, such as Tankathon, have listed Black as a shooting guard/small forward combination. Arkansas played him almost strictly as a point guard for the 2022-23 season, and that's the position Musselman thinks Black will excel at in the NBA.
"To me, that's where he has incredible value," Musselman said. "Can he catch he ball at half-court on an advance pass and make great plays in transition as a small forward and an off-guard? There's no doubt, yes. Can he guard one, twos and threes? Yes. If you're in a switchable system, can he guard a four and front the four? Yes.
"But what I think, and I think our entire coaching staff, where is he really, really unique and different and a game-changer? It's at that point guard position, because of his size. Now you can roll him into the post. He's got great vision to see over the defense. The area that he's going to continue to get better at and work on is his perimeter shooting."
ESPN has Black mocked at the No. 8 pick to the Wizards and the service has him as the No. 9 overall player in the 2023 NBA Draft. According to ESPN analytics, Black has a 32% chance to become an all-star and he has a 45% chance to be a starter in the NBA.
The NBA Draft will be held at 7 p.m. CT Thursday at the Barclays Center in New York. It will be broadcast on ABC and ESPN.
