HawgBeat - Nick Smith Jr.'s return makes Razorbacks poised for postseason run
Nick Smith Jr.'s return to Arkansas sets the Razorbacks up for another run in March.
arkansas.rivals.com
Heralded freshman Nick Smith Jr. made his second consecutive start in Tuesday's win over Georgia after returning from injury and he did not disappoint.
The McDonald's All-American finished with 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including 5-of-8 from behind the arc. It's safe to say that Smith has shaken the rust off and incorporated himself back into the lineup.
I've said many times over, any time a team has the chance to add a potential NBA Lottery Draft pick, even if that team has been playing well, the risk is worth it. The Razorbacks lost the first two games in Smith's return — a 70-64 home loss to Mississippi State and a 62-56 loss at Texas A&M. Those two games saw Smith play limited minutes and provide minimal scoring compared to expectations.
Against the Bulldogs, the five-star scored five points in 17 minutes of action, while he did not score in just four minutes of playing time in College Station. Obviously, there was going to be a re-acclimation period for Smith, who missed 13 games due to a right knee injury, but fans and journalists alike were puzzled by the lack of opportunity out of the gate.
Smith had opportunities in his time against Mississippi State, scoring five points on 2-of-7 from the field, but it was clear that he was not back into the swing of things just yet. The 6-foot-5-inch guard had just recently started practicing before that game and needed to shake some rust off, but a close conference game was not the time to do it.
The game against the Aggies almost seemed to be a step backwards. All of Smith's four minutes came in the first half and he only attempted one field goal, which he missed. His performance was not great, but offensively, neither was the team's. The Razorbacks managed just 56 points for the game and shot 50% from the free throw line. Each of the members of the Arkansas backcourt - Davonte Davis, Ricky Council IV and Anthony Black - played in excess of 35 minutes. The potential lottery pick sat.
"We’re just trying to win a game and keep our season alive," Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman said after the loss when asked about Smith's lack of playing time.
That remark was fodder for fans to question Musselman's tactics. After all, the best way to shake off rust and get back in the flow of game situations is by playing the game. Also, Smith is an offensive weapon and the Razorbacks missed two of their final 10 field goal attempts and made just one of their final four free throws.
Musselman added that they would continue to work "everybody" into the rotation after the first comment, probably applying specifically to Smith, and that's exactly what Musselman and the staff did.
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