Now that the 2024-25 NCAA Tournament is over, several Razorbacks have stay-or-go decisions to make before next season.
Two players from last year's Arkansas squad have already made up their minds, as freshman point guard Boogie Fland and junior forward Adou Thiero have declared for the NBA Draft.
Fland was a projected lottery pick before the season started and Thiero worked his way onto draft boards with a strong season in which he led the Razorbacks in scoring (15.1 points per game) and rebounds (5.8 per game).
Numerous NBA Draft mocks have Fland and Thiero projected to hear their names called, but two other Razorbacks have also found their way onto NBA Draft boards, as well.
NBADraft.net updated its Top 100 prospects list Wednesday, and it lists four players from last year's squad. Both Fland and Thiero are listed, as are freshman forward Karter Knox and sophomore point guard D.J. Wagner.
Fland is listed as the No. 16 player on the Top 100 and Thiero is listed at No. 54. Interestingly, Knox is listed at No. 47, while Wagner is listed at No. 86.
Knox and Wagner are more likely to return to college basketball next year than enter the NBA Draft, but here's a look at where Fland and Thiero are showing up on draft boards...
*It's worth noting with the volatility of the transfer portal, and college players being able to declare for the draft while maintaining their college eligibility, these mocks will likely change a lot throughout the offseason.*
Boogie Fland
Season Stats: 21 GP, 13.5 PTS, 3.2 REB, 5.1 AST, 1.5 STL, 1.4 TO; 37.9 FG%, 34.0% 3PT, 83.3 FT%
Despite missing 15 games because of thumb surgery, Fland is the least surprising Razorback to enter his name in the draft. The former five-star had excellent numbers in the non-conference slate and put up solid point production (albeit on poor efficiency) early in SEC play. He came back for the NCAA Tournament in a reserve role and helped the Razorbacks to a Sweet 16 appearance.
Where Fland excelled the most on the court was his passing ability. Before the injury, he led the SEC in assist-to-turnover ratio and was second in the league in assists at 5.7 per game. He's also more than capable of scoring at all three levels, whether that be putting the ball on the floor and beating his defender to the rim, a midrange jumper or connecting from deep.
When Fland was really cooking, most draft projections had him as a potential lottery pick. His draft stock fell as the season wore on and he missed games, but with a good showing at the combine and in individual workouts, he could see his stock jump again.
NBA Draft projections:
NBA.com: Round 1, Pick 27 (Brooklyn Nets)
NBADraft.net: Round 1, Pick 19 (Memphis Grizzlies)
ESPN: Not Listed
Bleacher Report: Round 2, Pick 44 (Utah Jazz)
CBS: Not Listed
Adou Thiero
Season Stats: 27 GP, 15.1 PTS, 5.8 REB, 1.9 AST, 1.6 STL, 1.47 TO; 54.5 FG%, 25.6% 3PT, 68.6 FT%
Another player whose season took a hit because of an injury, Thiero missed eight games with a knee injury he sustained against Missouri on Feb. 22. He returned for the Razobacks' Sweet 16 loss to Texas Tech, but he only played five minutes and racked up one point and one rebound against the Red Raiders. It was pretty clear he wasn't 100% in game shape, which makes sense given the knee issues.
On the season, though, Thiero proved he was one of the best in the country. His three-point shot left a lot to be desired, but his physicality and ability to get to the rim won the Razorbacks a lot of games.
One thing that's interesting about Thiero is his free throw percentage. The 68.6% from the charity stripe is somewhat deceiving. He attempted (175) more free throws and made more (120) than any other player on the team. In fact, he made 23 more free throws than Johnell Davis, who was second on the team in free throw attempts.
Like Fland, Thiero's injury put a damper on his draft stock, but with a strong showing in the combine and individual workouts, that stock could rise again.
NBA Draft projections:
NBA.com: Round 2, Pick 40 (Toronto Raptors)
NBADraft.net: Not Listed
ESPN: Round 1, Pick 26 (Brooklyn Nets)
Bleacher Report: Round 2, Pick 39 (Toronto Raptors)
CBS: Round 1, Pick 25 (Atlanta Hawks)
