FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas has three players going through NBA Draft Combine festivities this week.
Unless one of the Razorbacks’ trio rises into a first round pick, it will be the first time since 2007 that coach John Calipari will not have a player drafted in the first round.
Each year, Bleacher Report conducts a thorough mock draft which ranks each college, Overtime Elite and international prospect. The No. 1 overall pick is without a doubt Duke’s Cooper Flagg and fans will soon find out which team will draft first when the draft lottery takes place Monday, May 12.
Arkansas’ leading scorer was one of the best gifts the program received when he decided to follow Calipari to Arkansas last offseason. Combined with big man assistant Kenny Payne, Thiero developed into a force near the rim and even added a consistent jump shot to his game.
The 6-foot-8, 225 pound forward averaged career-highs with 15 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals per game. Thiero’s ability to defend multiple positions while also adding a multi-dimensional offensive game has allowed him to climb draft boards throughout the season and into NBA Draft preparations.
“Though Adou Thiero only played five minutes against Texas Tech after missing a month with a knee injury, the return suggested he could be good to go for pre-draft workouts.
His shooting remains problematic but he has improved his ability to create for himself inside the arc, a needed development that has turned him into a more versatile scoring threat in the half court.
Between the open-floor athleticism for transition offense, the play-finishing, defensive playmaking and now the tougher driving ability, teams could start to talk themselves into an outlier, non-shooting wing or combo forward.”
– Jordan Wasserman, Bleacher Report
He is extremely athletic and confident with the ball in his hands. Calipari made comparison of Thiero’s ability early on as someone completely rare to the game.
“Let me say, I probably shouldn’t say it but I will, if there are 10 better players in the country than Adou, I need you to show them to me,” Calipari said in November. “Who are they? Like, he’s a unicorn physically, now. You don’t have guys like him that are good enough with the ball.”
Should Thiero be picked up by the Hornets, he would join former Razorbacks 5-star Nick Smith, Jr. The franchise has historically struggled as its last NBA Playoff appearance came in a first round loss to Miami in seven games.
Smith is the second-youngest player on the roster at 21-years-old and averaged 10 points and two rebounds while starting 27-of-60 games during his second season in the league.
The 6-foot-2, 175 pound guard mainly manned point guard duties for first-year coach John Calipari through his first 18 games before being plagued with a thumb injury which required surgery.
He averaged just over 15 points per game along with six assists, three rebounds and two steals. The Brooklyn native returned in time for Arkansas’ first round NCAA Tournament game against No. 7 seed Kansas when he posted six points, three assists, three steals and no turnovers in the Razorbacks’ 79-72 upset victory.
Fland was initially projected to be a lottery pick once he entered the college ranks at Arkansas, but his lack of consistency from the field hurt his stock a tad. He made just 36% of his lay-ups without a single dunk attempt, 34% from three on five attempts per game, but was dependable as an 83% free throw shooter.
“Boogie Fland made an admirable return for the NCAA tournament after missing the last two months. It did not go well—he shot a combined 4-of-18 in three games and only played nine minutes against Texas Tech.
He was not convincing enough this year to sell teams on a starting NBA point guard. The size and athleticism questions popped up too much whenever he was driving or trying to finish.
But his ball-handling and shiftiness for creation and playmaking, and his reliable shot making, do paint him as an attractive scoring/playmaking spark for NBA teams to think of for instant offense off the bench.”
– Jordan Wasserman, Bleacher Report
Power forward Daniel Gafford is the latest former Arkansas player to have played for the Wizards organization. Gafford averaged 10 points, six rebounds and two blocks per game in 218 games at Washington before being traded to Dallas where he’s experienced back-to-back career high seasons in productivity across the board.
Fland decided to keep his options open this offseason as he made a decision to enter the transfer portal. He will continue to concentrate on the draft, but is ranked as the No. 1 available transfer, according to 247sports.
One surprise to this point is Knox not exclusively included on Bleacher Report’s latest mock draft. The 6-foot-6 small forward will have an opportunity to prove himself when the NBA Combine starts Sunday, May 11 in Chicago.
Knox did enter the NBA Draft conversation after the season while maintaining his eligibility for a potential return to the Razorbacks and will have until June 15 to make a decision to stay or go. He started 24-of-36 games while averaging eight points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal this season.
Despite a slow start, he was one of Arkansas’ best players from Feb. 15 until a loss in the Sweet 16 to Texas Tech. Knox averaged 13 points per game while shooting 56% from the field, 42% from three and 80% at the free throw line.
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