From @jacksoncollier
arkansas.rivals.com
Arkansas filled its 13th and final scholarship spot for the 2023-2024 season with the addition of Memphis transfer Chandler Lawson.
The 6-foot-8 forward was a highly-touted recruit coming out of high school. A four-star recruit, Lawson played his first two seasons at Oregon before transferring to Memphis and finally ending up in Fayetteville.
Razorback head coach Eric Musselman recruited Lawson's younger brother, Johnathan Lawson, in the 2021 high school class, before Lawson ultimately signed with Memphis.
Lawson fills an area of need for the Razorbacks, who return nearly their entire front court from last season. While the front court is the same, and ideally will improve with an offseason of development, the roster construction lacked a backup option at the four-spot behind forward Trevon Brazile.
When Brazile went down last season with a torn ACL, there was no real replacement for him. Arkansas tried multiple approaches - inserting Joseph Pinion into the rotation, playing Kamani Johnson more minutes, running a four-guard lineup for extended periods - but nothing quite made up for Brazile's lost production.
Hopefully there are no injury issues like last season, but whether for injury or just a breather, Lawson is a competent backup at the hybrid forward position.
At Memphis this past season, Lawson averaged 5.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 0.8 assists in just 19.6 minutes of action per game. Lawson was very efficient scoring offensively, shooting 56.7% from the field and 50.0% from three.
While he does not possess the same athleticism as Brazile, Lawson boasts incredible length with a 7-foot-7 wing span. That wing span allows him to affect shots anywhere on the court, and because of his versatility, he can guard and contest shots on the perimeter as well as in the paint. Lawson had a solid block rate last season at 3.3%, which would have ranked fifth on Arkansas' team last season — for comparison, Brazile's was 4.7%.
The block number isn't the only similarity to Brazile, though. The two have strikingly similar advanced metrics, as well. Lawson and Brazile each had a total rebounding percentage of 13.0% last season, meaning they were each estimated to grab 13.0% of any available rebounds while on the floor.
The split between offensive and defensive rebound percentage is even similar, with Lawson posting an 8.3% offensive rebounding percentage and 17.2% defensive rebounding percentage compared to Brazile's 4.4% and 21.5%. Lawson's offensive rebounding percentage would have ranked fifth on last year's team, also.
Even though he does not attempt many shots from the perimeter, Lawson has a smart shot selection and knocks down shots from range at a high rate. He was 7-of-14 this past season from the perimeter, and is a 42.9% three-point shooter on his career in 28 attempts.
One area that doesn't necessarily show up in box scores where Lawson will be crucial is in high major experience. Over four seasons, he has appeared in 111 games, starting 44, for two quality programs in Oregon and Memphis. He was a key piece to a Ducks team in 2020 who, had it not been for the pandemic, would have easily made the NCAA Tournament. The following year, Lawson played 18.1 minutes per game on a Sweet Sixteen Oregon team.
Lawson's two seasons at Memphis each resulted in NCAA Tournament appearances, as well, meaning the forward has three years of post-season experience and four years as a part of winning basketball cultures.
Watching his film, Lawson loves to score at the rim and does so in a multitude of ways. He runs the floor well and fills his lane correctly to receive a pass from his teammates, he plays the off-ball dunker spot in a half-court offense to fill an open spot and score, he can post up his defender, and he can run the floor as a ball-handler if the situation arises.
While he is not super explosive off the ground, his long arms allow him to finish strong at the rim with a dunk or to elevate and finish off the glass above a defender's contest.
Defensively, Lawson is versatile and capable of guarding multiple spots, but mainly the three and four positions. He can step out on the perimeter and stay in front of his man decently enough, but if he gets beat, his length allows him to recover and never really be out of the play. Numerous times in his film he blocked a shot after getting beat off the dribble because of his insane wingspan.
One of his strongest assets as a basketball player is instinct or "feel" for the game. Lawson has an uncanny ability to fill open spots in the offense, which sounds easy to do, but it manages to grant him easy, open looks at the rim on a consistent basis.
Perhaps Lawson's biggest weakness is his turnovers. Last season he averaged 1.0 turnovers per game, good enough for a 19.0% turnover percentage. For reference, that would have been the third-worst on last year's team compared to regular contributors, only behind Jalen Graham's 21.3% and Anthony Black's 20.6%.
Lawson checks many boxes Musselman-coached teams look for: length, experience, versatility and efficiency. It would not shock me if Lawson earned a spot as the last man in the core rotation to spell Brazile and even play alongside him at times depending on matchup.
HawgBeat - What Arkansas is getting in Chandler Lawson
An in-depth breakdown of what Arkansas is getting in Memphis transfer Chandler Lawson.
arkansas.rivals.com
Arkansas filled its 13th and final scholarship spot for the 2023-2024 season with the addition of Memphis transfer Chandler Lawson.
The 6-foot-8 forward was a highly-touted recruit coming out of high school. A four-star recruit, Lawson played his first two seasons at Oregon before transferring to Memphis and finally ending up in Fayetteville.
Razorback head coach Eric Musselman recruited Lawson's younger brother, Johnathan Lawson, in the 2021 high school class, before Lawson ultimately signed with Memphis.
Lawson fills an area of need for the Razorbacks, who return nearly their entire front court from last season. While the front court is the same, and ideally will improve with an offseason of development, the roster construction lacked a backup option at the four-spot behind forward Trevon Brazile.
When Brazile went down last season with a torn ACL, there was no real replacement for him. Arkansas tried multiple approaches - inserting Joseph Pinion into the rotation, playing Kamani Johnson more minutes, running a four-guard lineup for extended periods - but nothing quite made up for Brazile's lost production.
Hopefully there are no injury issues like last season, but whether for injury or just a breather, Lawson is a competent backup at the hybrid forward position.
At Memphis this past season, Lawson averaged 5.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 0.8 assists in just 19.6 minutes of action per game. Lawson was very efficient scoring offensively, shooting 56.7% from the field and 50.0% from three.
While he does not possess the same athleticism as Brazile, Lawson boasts incredible length with a 7-foot-7 wing span. That wing span allows him to affect shots anywhere on the court, and because of his versatility, he can guard and contest shots on the perimeter as well as in the paint. Lawson had a solid block rate last season at 3.3%, which would have ranked fifth on Arkansas' team last season — for comparison, Brazile's was 4.7%.
The block number isn't the only similarity to Brazile, though. The two have strikingly similar advanced metrics, as well. Lawson and Brazile each had a total rebounding percentage of 13.0% last season, meaning they were each estimated to grab 13.0% of any available rebounds while on the floor.
The split between offensive and defensive rebound percentage is even similar, with Lawson posting an 8.3% offensive rebounding percentage and 17.2% defensive rebounding percentage compared to Brazile's 4.4% and 21.5%. Lawson's offensive rebounding percentage would have ranked fifth on last year's team, also.
Even though he does not attempt many shots from the perimeter, Lawson has a smart shot selection and knocks down shots from range at a high rate. He was 7-of-14 this past season from the perimeter, and is a 42.9% three-point shooter on his career in 28 attempts.
One area that doesn't necessarily show up in box scores where Lawson will be crucial is in high major experience. Over four seasons, he has appeared in 111 games, starting 44, for two quality programs in Oregon and Memphis. He was a key piece to a Ducks team in 2020 who, had it not been for the pandemic, would have easily made the NCAA Tournament. The following year, Lawson played 18.1 minutes per game on a Sweet Sixteen Oregon team.
Lawson's two seasons at Memphis each resulted in NCAA Tournament appearances, as well, meaning the forward has three years of post-season experience and four years as a part of winning basketball cultures.
Watching his film, Lawson loves to score at the rim and does so in a multitude of ways. He runs the floor well and fills his lane correctly to receive a pass from his teammates, he plays the off-ball dunker spot in a half-court offense to fill an open spot and score, he can post up his defender, and he can run the floor as a ball-handler if the situation arises.
While he is not super explosive off the ground, his long arms allow him to finish strong at the rim with a dunk or to elevate and finish off the glass above a defender's contest.
Defensively, Lawson is versatile and capable of guarding multiple spots, but mainly the three and four positions. He can step out on the perimeter and stay in front of his man decently enough, but if he gets beat, his length allows him to recover and never really be out of the play. Numerous times in his film he blocked a shot after getting beat off the dribble because of his insane wingspan.
One of his strongest assets as a basketball player is instinct or "feel" for the game. Lawson has an uncanny ability to fill open spots in the offense, which sounds easy to do, but it manages to grant him easy, open looks at the rim on a consistent basis.
Perhaps Lawson's biggest weakness is his turnovers. Last season he averaged 1.0 turnovers per game, good enough for a 19.0% turnover percentage. For reference, that would have been the third-worst on last year's team compared to regular contributors, only behind Jalen Graham's 21.3% and Anthony Black's 20.6%.
Lawson checks many boxes Musselman-coached teams look for: length, experience, versatility and efficiency. It would not shock me if Lawson earned a spot as the last man in the core rotation to spell Brazile and even play alongside him at times depending on matchup.
