Fayetteville — Arkansas’ 2022-23 season roster was finalized in late May when Jaylin Williams announced that he would be attending the next NBA Draft scheduled for June 23.
Razorbacks director Eric Musselman also didn’t waste time creating this roster. Just days after the program lost to Duke in the Elite, he added Missouri forward Trebon Brazil.
The sophomore Brazilian, who had a solid freshman season for the bad Tigers team, was the first of five commitments from the NCAA Transfer Portal. The group will join the second-largest recruitment class in the country and two scholarship returnees, security guard Davonte Davis and forward Kamani Johnson.
Expectations for Arkansas are as high as they were since the mid-1990s. Razorbucks will be comfortable in the top 15 and other top 10 polls of the preseason.
About 5 months from Game 1 Within 2 months from overseas tour It will be of great help to the friendship of the team, I did my best to project what the Razorbacks rotation is can Dividing the role into four layers, it looks like a star potential, a starter potential, a bench player, and a few minutes of fighting.
The roster is littered with talent, but take this into account. Less than 10 players have played in 70 of the 101 games in Arkansas.
Possibility of a star
A reliable player who can turn to the All-SEC type season.
• Nick Smith | Father | 6-5 | 185
The rationale: This feels like a pretty obvious placement for Smith, who was named the No. 1 player in the 2022 class by 247Sports in May. Smith has an alpha-type personality and is a super-competitive player who hates to lose. Probably more than he enjoys winning. Great ability to score, above average court vision, and want to lead, Smith seems to have everything the team wants from a dependable player.. His long arms also help him as a defender. In each season of Masselman with Razorbucks, he had a player in the SEC Player of the Year conversation – Mason Jones, Moses Moody, JD Note. Outstanding Smith at the Spring High School All-Star Circuit, and perhaps the pre-season All-American Smith, is by no means out of the realm of being there by the end of the regular season.
Potential starter
These players are expected to be able to get started and play an integral role in the success of the team. They have a great opportunity to play important and meaningful minutes.
• Anthony Black | Father | 6-7 | 185
The rationale: 6-7 guard black brings great value to starting lineup. He can influence the game whether he starts or gets off the bench, but his attributes and intangibles will challenge him to get off the floor. Black needs some work on jump shooting (10/28 2FG, 1/6 3FG in Mexico), 6 matches against Team USA at the FIBA U18 American Championship in Tijuana Prove that he can influence the victory in various ways other than scoring. He led the team with a total of rebounds, assists and blocks, and won the team lead with 11 steals. The number of black defensives shouldn’t be a big surprise considering how big he is on the ball, like the number of Arkansas wings from 2021 to 22. Depending on his opponent’s lineup, he was able to defend his 4-5 position. It is sometimes said for security guards who stand out in his role and can be content to make their teammates aggressive. Razorbacks enjoys an advanced pass that kicks off transition opportunities. He has a nice floater game once in the lane. Black arrived at the campus earlier this week.
• Jordan Walsh | Father | 6-7 | 200
The rationale: Walsh was one of the 17 finalists of the U18 national team in the United States, but was not eventually elected. However, he joined the Razorbacks in Fayetteville to adapt and get off to a good start in the summer months. Masselman enthusiastically talked about what Walsh brings to the table. Another long wing, he is a violent and angry defender who can purposefully stab the ball, loosen it, and even check several positions. Meanwhile, he challenges the defender at the edge. Walsh finishes well with contact. He also has point guard qualities and routinely sees pacing up on the open floor looking for teammates.At the beginning of this summer he 2022 class top two-way player..
• Ricky Council | Junior | 6-6 | 204
The rationale: An exceptional athlete who may have one of the best bodies on the roster, the council is already rippling with Razorbacks training. Massellman recently posted a clip of a wing shot that falsified Arkansas and drove in the middle, throwing a dunk shot in the traffic. The council appears to be aggressively prosperous on the open floor, and he can create for himself from dribbling. Some of his work stems from a defensive end where he flashes his quick hands and solid instincts. With his athleticism and wingspan of 6-10, it is believed he was able to declare the NBA Draft and fill the void left by Arkansas’ best border defender, Au’Diese Toney. On paper, outdoor shooting and turnovers (12 out of 3 conference play last season, 3 or more turnovers in 12 games) are a problem. However, Masselman was able to develop, maximize and hide the shortcomings of some of the additional strengths of his more talented transfers. And the council is talented. According to a coach at an American Athletic Conference Wichita State University transfer was expected to be the top NBA in the league Last season. The council can be one of the minutes leaders of the team.
• Trebon Brazil | Yes. 6-9 | 215
The rationale: Expect the lineup to feature with Masselman as a Razorbacks coach A forward who has the ability to stretch the floor and protect the edges in his own way.. Jarin Williams was often the last line of defense in Arkansas between 2021 and 22 and was famous for being prosecuted around restricted areas. Williams blocked the shot share, but Brazil is a more traditional rim protector, with a 10.1% block rate at 28th place nationwide, according to Ken Pom data. He has shown that he can play that role while limiting foul troubles. According to CBB Analytics data, he committed an average of 1.5 blocks per foul. In February, before Razorbucks faced Missouri, Masselman said Brazil had a bright future. Coaches are now actually in contact with promising tycoons who are only in their second year at college level. Defensively, he can switch to a larger guard to match multiple positions. He’s a solid offensive rebounder and an effective finisher on the rim — 40 (75.5%) of 53 last season was an attempt within 4 feet. Brazilians seem to be potential front court defensive anchors as long as they understand the new concept this summer. According to Hooplens’ analysis, Missouri’s opponents last season worsened by nearly 3% in the arc, and even worse by 4%.
• Jaylen Graham | Senior | 6-9 | 220
The rationale: Every season, I think there are Star Caliber players in Masselman’s transfer class. Last year was Stanley Umde. He may not have reached star status in Arkansas, but when he played well, Razorbacks usually did. with time, I think Graham is the man who carries this.. A second team all-conference performer in Arizona from 2021 to 22, he was described as a tough shot specialist by athletics CJ Moore and Sam Beseny. Graham is expected to bring shot blocking and play on the open floor when one of the guards that boosts the pace of the Razorbacks is about to run. Graham’s upper limit may depend on his effectiveness on the half-court. According to the people who covered him, he is not a threat from the depths, and some of his best ways to score are unorthodox. This isn’t exactly an apple-to-apple comparison, but when Justin Smith arrived in Arkansas from Indiana, he was somewhat aggressively restricted. But he grew well for that purpose and added shots to his repertoire. If Graham grows an aggressive game a bit and shows an ongoing commitment to defense, he can be a star.
Bench player
These players are likely to start the game this season, but I think they are likely to be off the bench.
• Davonte Davis | Junior | 6-4 | 185
The rationale: Third-year security guards need to be in good shape with respect to program expectations and become leaders for newcomers to see how things are going. His leadership is paramount, as he spent the most time on the roster with Masselman and his coaching staff. From a statistical point of view, Davis has taken a step back last season in some respects compared to the year of freshmen. Razorbacks, lacking a true pass first point guard, probably contributed to some of his offensive struggles. However, Davis played a key role in doing something very 2021 Davis-like during the March NCAA tournament, including loose ball enclosures, home run play creation, and midrange jumper hits. I did. He was sometimes an energy shock and a solid secondary playmaker, and I see him playing a similar role next season. It’s great to be free to use a career of 8.4 points for each game scorer with big game experience. Masselman likes to be able to glimpse his bench and know he’s waiting for an energy blast or ready to attack / defend.
• Maki Mitchell | Senior | 6-9 | 230
• Makhel Mitchell | Senior | 6-10 | 245
The rationale: Mitchell’s twins will be two more interesting players to learn in the coming months. As I wrote in their commitment analysis Both can provide great size to great size, shot blocking, and versatility. For the Masselman lineup. On paper, according to KenPom, Macel seems to be slightly up, given that he was ranked in the top 20 nationwide at block rates last season. He puts himself back in the basket and imagines a big, aggressive rebounder. In 2021-22, Macel completed 68% of 132 trials on the rim. But above all, he has a familiarity with defensive end. This is a really good way to stand on the floor of Arkansas these days. Maki ranked in the top 10 in Atlantic 10 and played at block and steel rates. This is impressive. Arkansas wouldn’t have brought both players if they didn’t believe it could affect their victory. However, as Masselman says, playing time is earned in a closed room. If Graham and Brazile take over their first role, it would be ideal to replace 6-9 and 6-10 from the bench, but let’s see how it works in the end. I imagine Macel playing a bigger role, and Macel could fall into the following categories:
Fight for a few minutes
These players can have a difficult fight to crack the rotation.
• Kamani Johnson | Senior | 6-7 | 230
The rationale: Like Davis, Johnson has in every new front court player an understanding of Razorbacks’ plans and what is irreparable. He brings a unique form of physicality as a small forward, rebounds in bursts when on the floor, and is aggressively restricted with good clips (13.5 per 40 minutes). He averaged 7.9 minutes last season with a team that needed a little more frontline depth. The addition of Arkansas off-season can offer more. But players like Johnson are certainly worth it in their pockets for a long season.
• Delian Ford | Father | 6-3 | 210
• Joseph Pinion | Father | 6-6 | 185
• Barry Dunning | Father | 6-6 | 210
The rationale: The Razorbacks roster has a lot of talent and playmakers, and this trio may take some time. Together with Dunning and Ford, I would like to know how their game, which was partially based on power at the high school level, will be transformed into college against bigger, stronger and faster enemies. increase. The pinion’s range is deep, but Jackson Robinson is an example of last season, and being a sniper isn’t immediately the same as playing time. Each of these players can be great and productive in the long run.
