Asking players who are likely to go to the NBA, or even those who are on the borderline, whether or not it was their last game in a college uniform after a loss in the NCAA Tournament is bad form.
But if you’re an Arkansas fan, it’s the question most on the mind right now when it comes to Nick Smith Jr., Anthony Black, Trevon Brazile, Jordan Walsh and Ricky Council. All five could have NBA futures. Smith and Black are projected lottery picks.
Smith is the only Arkansas native of the bunch. He was the No. 1 recruit in the country coming out of North Little Rock last year and was expected to be a one-and-done player who headed straight to the NBA after his freshman season.
That part hasn’t changed. The context has.
Smith played in 17 games this year for the Razorbacks as a knee injury kept him out for half the season. As such, he never really had an opportunity to become himself or showcase the game that made him a player that was once called the likely second-overall pick for the draft. He was, appropriately, non-committal about his future after Arkansas’ 88-65 loss in the Sweet 16 to Connecticut on Thursday.
“Whatever I do moving forward, I can take this knowledge I have now and go into offseason, train as hard as I can. Most importantly, just get healthy,” Smith said. “Whatever I do next year, I’ll be ready. I don’t know what the future may hold.”
Smith averaged almost 13 points a game in his limited action, playing about 26 minutes per game. Between the knee injury and that on-court production, few are considering him as the second-overall pick anymore. But he’s also not exactly crashed. He’s still a projected top-10 selection.
“Just the adversity and coming back on the court, probably one of the, it touched my heart a bit, that moment. I appreciate the fans. I appreciate my parents. I appreciate my friends and family stick behind me no matter what the situation was. By this time next year, I’ll be ready.”
The deadline to declare for the draft is April 23.
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