It’s been a pretty disappointing season for Arkansas basketball after entering the year with high expectations. [autotag]Eric Musselman[/autotag] signed the No. 2 recruiting class in the country and added key transfers which had fans thinking about a potential Final Four run.
Instead, the Razorbacks were hit by the injury bug and sit at 19-11 overall and 8-9 in conference play ahead of their regular season finale against No. 23 Kentucky. That No. 2 ranked recruiting class included three five-star McDonald’s All-Americans: [autotag]Nick Smith Jr.[/autotag], [autotag]Anthony Black[/autotag] and [autotag]Jordan Walsh[/autotag].
Walsh was the biggest potential x-factor and “unknown” of the trio as experts knew he had the tools to be a special player, but was still very raw in key areas. This season has been an up and down ride for the Desoto, Tex. native where he’s just never really looked comfortable on the floor.
For that reason, college basketball insider Adam Finkelstein of 247Sports believes that there’s a strong possibility Walsh could stay at Arkansas for another year to improve his draft stock.
“Arkansas’ Jordan Walsh is another prospect who should consider a return to college basketball next season,” Finkelstein said. “If he can earn a bigger offensive role next season, he has a chance to show some of the scoring punch we saw in high school. Back then, that came in the open floor and straight-line drive situations first and foremost.
“There’s no reason he can’t incorporate those aspects into his game more at the college level. Simultaneously, if he can became a more respectable open shooting threat from behind the arc, he’s a player that could certainly help himself.”
The basis of Finkelstein’s argument stems from the fact that the 2024 NBA Draft is not expected to be very good. That means that guys who probably won’t be first round picks in the stacked 2023 draft class could potentially be first round locks in 2024, due to the lack of highly talented prospects.
There’s no arguing that Walsh has struggled immensely at times this season. While he’s occasionally shined on defense – when he’s not fouling – he’s never really found a rhythm on offense. He’s averaging just 7.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 0.9 assists 1.0 steals and 2.9 fouls per game while shooting 44.1% from the field, 28.3% from three and 73.5% from the foul line. In 30 games played, he’s only scored more than 13 points one time.
According to KenPom’s “Percentage of Possessions Used” stat – which determines how often a player is responsible for the end of a possession by either missed shots, made shots or turnovers – Walsh ranks eighth on the team in that metric behind [autotag]Makhi Mitchell[/autotag], [autotag]Jalen Graham[/autotag] and [autotag]Devo Davis[/autotag].
There are a lot of mouths to feed on the Arkansas offense this season, which has limited the looks that Walsh. In his limited looks, he has been extremely inconsistent which has not helped his draft stock much. He’s fallen out of the first round and is now a projected late second round pick in most mock drafts in which he’s included.
It’s impossible to say what Arkansas’ roster will look like next year because Eric Musselman is notorious for his year-to-year overhauls. However, if Walsh wants to return it’s hard to argue that another season won’t benefit both parties.
There’s still a lot of games to be played and decisions to be made between now and next season, but this year may not be the final time we see Jordan Walsh in an Arkansas Razorback jersey.
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