The Arkansas basketball season is still seven or so months away, but the roster is starting to take shape.
Last week, the Razorbacks dropped a bunch of news all at once about the return of several key players: D.J. Wagner, Trevon Brazile and Billy Richmond III. The news came in the form of a video on head coach John Calipari's X account.
That video also featured clips from incoming freshmen Darius Acuff Jr,. Meleek Thomas and Isaiah Sealy, as well as Lithuanian forward Karim Rtail. Moments after that video was released, another video dropped and it featured incoming transfer bigs Malique Ewin and Nick Pringle.
As of now, the Razorbacks have a total of nine players on the roster, which doesn't include Karter Knox, who is testing the NBA Draft waters and could return.
While the coaching staff is still working to fill out the rest of the roster, HawgBeat takes a stab at what next year's starting lineup could look like when the ball is tipped next season.
Note: This is not an official starting five, just a potential look at what it could look like for the start of the season.
Point Guard — Darius Acuff Jr.
Calipari has stressed retention for next season's team, but that doesn't mean his prized freshmen won't see the floor. Darius Acuff is going to see a bulk of minutes for the Razorbacks next season, and likely sees his time in Fayetteville being just one year before he makes the leap to the NBA.
The five-star Detroit native is ranked the No. 13 player in the nation and has made appearances on several big stages in recent weeks, including the McDonald's All-American Game, Nike Hoop Summit and the Jordan Brand Classic.
In the Nike Hoop Summit, he played an instrumental role for Team USA and scored 24 points on 64.3% shooting to go along with four rebounds, three assists and a steal in a 124-114 overtime win.
Acuff has great court vision and a penchant for scoring the basketball, and while he's roughly the same height as Boogie Fland — who commanded the same attention prior to his arrival in Fayetteville — he's more physically built for the grind of an SEC schedule.
Shooting Guard — D.J. Wagner
Back for a third year in college and second with the Razorbacks, Wagner brings a veteran presence to a backcourt that is, for the most part, pretty young.
The Camden, New Jersey, native averaged 11.2 points per game on 40.1% shooting last season, and with another offseason of work under his belt, he's primed to make another jump as a junior.
Where Wagner will need to improve most is in the turnover department. The overall season number isn't bad, just 2.2 per game, but that number jumped to 2.8 over his last 10 games, and he had six games with three or more turnovers in that span.
Wagner would also benefit from getting a lot of shots up from deep and improving his three-point accuracy over the offseason. He shot 30.4% from three-point land last season and had stretches where he got hot, but if he can be a reliable threat in that area, it'll help space the floor for better looks for his teammates.
Wagner's play elevated in a big way after he moved into the point guard role midway through last season, so it's worth noting here that while we've got him at the off-ball guard spot, it wouldn't be shocking in the slightest if his and Acuff's positions were flipped.
Small Forward — Billy Richmond III
There's a bit of an asterisk here because if Karter Knox decides to return to Arkansas next season, he'll be the one penciled in here. But as of right now, Billy Richmond III is a good bet to take over the three for the Hogs.
Richmond had some high highs and low lows last season. He had dazzling dunks and head-scratching turnovers, and a big chunk of that can be attributed to being just a freshman in a grown man's SEC.
There's no doubt the ability is there, though. Richmond boasts freakish athleticism and plays with a motor that is always on and revved to 100. Another offseason of work will do the Camden, New Jersey, native wonders in refining his overall game.
"Billy plays so fearless, now some of that ends up being turnovers, but the other things he does by making plays, I got to let that go some," Calipari said on March 16. "You have to let him make some mistakes."
What Richmond will need to fine-tune the most is letting the game come to him. Oftentimes last season, he let his body move faster than his brain was, and it resulted in some rough play. In the Hogs' win over Vanderbilt on March 4, he had a season-high seven turnovers, and he had at least one turnover in 10 of the last 11 games of the season.
That said, as he gets more acclimated to the college game, those mistakes will likely become less frequent.
Power Forward — Trevon Brazile
The rare fourth-year Razorback, Trevon Brazile shined in the latter half of last season, and is running it back with the Hogs yet again. This is also the last chance he'll get at the college level, as he's headed into his last year of eligibility.
Last season was an up-and-down one for Brazile. His season averages were just 6.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, but he flashed great potential late in the season when he filled in for Adou Thiero. He put up seven double-figure scoring performances and averaged 11.3 points and 9.1 rebounds in a nine-game stretch.
Consistency is what the Razorbacks need from Brazile next season. He had stretches where he showed he's capable of playing in the NBA, but he also had stretches where he looked like he didn't belong on a college basketball team.
If Arkansas can get the version of Brazile from late last season, it'll bode well for its hopes of an even deeper tournament run next season.
Center — Malique Ewin
Arkansas lost Jonas Aidoo after last season when he exhausted his eligibility, but it filled the hole fairly quickly with Florida State transfer Malique Ewin. He comes to Fayetteville after one year with the Seminoles and he spent the year before that at Ole Miss.
Ewin brings a 6-foot-11, 230-pound inside presence that has as much passing ability as he does finesse around the rim. The Lawrenceville, Georgia, native averaged 14.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per game last year, and his court vision is remarkable for a big man.
He also has a great ability to rebound the ball, something Arkansas struggled a lot with last season. His offensive rebound rate was 13.7%, which was second in the ACC, and his defensive rebound rate was 19.6%, good for 11th in the conference. His total rebound rate of 16.7% was sixth in the ACC.
