Arkansas Basketball: Projected rotation and minutes for 2022-23 season

Point guard

Projected starters: Nick Smith (30 mpg)

There may be a debate as to who the No. 1 incoming freshmen are in all of college basketball but if you take away the Duke prospects, there’s likely a consensus that it’s Nick Smith, playing for his local college team, who takes the cake. The 6’4 playmaking guard can give you 20+ points in a game and 7+ assists the next one.

Smith’s offensive game is incredibly smooth and can make his teammates better, which will be important since there is no on-court chemistry with one another. The Razorbacks made it work with JD Notae playing point so imagine how effective the offense will be with a true point guard leading the way.

If things go extremely well, don’t be surprised if Smith is a top-3 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, as his games translate very well to the next level. And if someone can take the SEC Player of the Year title away from Oscar Tshiebwe, it will be the five-star freshman guard.

Reserve: Davonte Davis (10 mpg) – In case of injury/surprise candidate: Derrian Ford

Considering how many incoming ball-handlers there are, it was a pleasant surprise that Davis opted to come back for his junior season. The 6’3 guard averaged 8.3 ppg and 2.8 apg last season and started 14 games but the team did better when he took a backseat to Notae and the same likely will happen with Smith coming in.

Still, “Devo” is a legit scorer and off the bench can be instant offense. And being the lone returning guard should give him a leg up when it comes to cracking the rotation early and often. And while he’s “shoot first”, Davis running the offense for a bit when Smith is off the bench isn’t a bad thing.