The new Razorbacks arrived on campus this weekend for the summer semester, marking the first step towards the 2021-22 season. Arkansas added yet another highly regarded class of transfers this year, to go along with four-star high school signee Chance Moore. This year’s transfer class has received national recognition, being ranked in the top-10 in numerous publications for transfer classes or “offseason winners.” CBS went as far as listing the Hogs at number 10 in their preseason rankings.
On paper, this roster is deeper and more talented than that Elite Eight team from this past season and there are still two open spots left. At the beginning of last year, many fans and writers alike looked at the heralded freshman class, the returning talent, and the transfer additions and thought that Head Coach Eric Musselman would be forced to adjust his philosophy and give 10+ players quality minutes. That did not happen.
In fact, by the end of the year only eight players averaged 15+ minutes per game, and in the NCAA Tournament Musselman played as few as five players more than fifteen minutes, like against Colgate.
It’s safe to assume that Musselman will not change his philosophy on allocating minutes any time soon, especially on the heels of his first Elite Eight as a college head coach and the program’s first in 26 years.
If this roster truly is more talented than even last year’s, how will Musselman allocate minutes? It’s too early to tell but let’s take the first step and compare player roles and skill sets between the newcomers and players that left last season.
2020-2021 roster:
Moses Moody, Justin Smith, Jalen Tate, Davonte Davis, Jaylin Williams, JD Notae, KK Robinson, Desi Sills, Ethan Henderson, Vance Jackson, Connor Vanover, Abayomi Iyiola.
2021-2022 roster:
Davonte Davis, Jaylin Williams, JD Notae, KK Robinson, Connor Vanover, Au’Diese Toney, Chris Lykes, Stanley Umude, Jaxson Robinson, Chance Moore, Kamani Johnson
The two biggest losses of the offseason were freshman sensation Moses Moody and senior forward Justin Smith. Both became focal points of the team offensively and defensively, combining to play 65.8 minutes per game and score 30.4 points per game.
Au’Diese Toney:
Look for incoming transfer Au’Diese Toney to produce similar numbers to Moody last year. Toney is a superb defender with plenty of experience at the high major level. Like Moody, he has the ability to guard 1-4, has good length with decent athleticism, and can score off the bounce or shoot from outside. It can be difficult to directly compare stats, but with Toney and Moody both playing the same position and playing in top conferences, there is more merit to comparing them directly.
2020-2021 season:
Moody: 16.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.0 steals. Shot 42.7% from the field, 35.8% from three, and 81.2% from the free throw line.
Toney: 14.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 steals. Shot 46.4% from the field, 34.0% from three, and 66.7% from the free throw line.
Moody and Toney were used differently in their respective offenses last year, as Toney was able to operate with defenses keying in on two of his teammates, while Moody was one of the two guys defenses focused on at Arkansas. Moody no doubt had more difficult looks and shot a higher volume, but the ability for Toney is clearly there, and with the increase in talent he could be a potent piece to a powerhouse offense.
