Nick Smith Jr. was expected to be one of the best players in the SEC this season, even compared to Kobe Bryant.
The season didn’t turn out as prosperous as everyone expected, with Smith suffering from a knee injury that forced him to miss two months of basketball. The Hogs struggled, and the fans began questioning Smith’s commitment to Arkansas basketball.
It’s March now, the Hogs are dancing, and Nick Smith Jr. has been in the starting lineup for several games. And with how his freshman season has transpired, Smith has an opportunity to become an Arkansas legend with a solid run to the Final Four or at least to the Elite 8.
Eric Musselman has played with the starting lineup this season, and Smith’s return to the court brought some significant changes. Musselman and his staff settled Smith into the starting lineup favorably because he established a rhythm early in the game, and that decision earned him an SEC Freshman of the Week Award.
The flip side of that has been either Devo Davis or Ricky Council coming off the bench. It hasn’t been an issue within the group, but it struggled to find consistent chemistry on the court.
The Hogs will need a big performance from Smith to reach the Final Four, and that doesn’t mean just having a high-scoring night.
At the end of the SEC season, conference tournament included, we got a chance to see what works, and the lineup that works is when the floor is loaded with guards. However, no matter the lineup, Smith has to be the best guard on the floor, including his teammates.
Playing in the backcourt with Anthony Black and Devo Davis gave Smith the off-the-ball freedom to focus on scoring and not playing floor general. Still, in order for Arkansas to reach the Final Four, Smith will have to transition into the floor general role everyone is waiting to see.
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