• Ant is one of the quickest processors of what happens on the court I’ve seen
• He has impressive overall athleticism, most notably incredibly quick leaping (he was a former stand-out wide receiver) but also physicality for frame at 6’7”, 195
• He is a willing attacker, with good finishing touch and ability to absorb contact
• He rarely makes significant mistakes, only occasionally forcing the issue or over-reacting to a fake

Add that all together and it’s difficult to imagine him not having an impact at the NBA level, as these traits not only translate well to a faster, stronger game, but his utility will only increase with better teammates around him (no insult to Arkansas’ very good talent! that’s just how connectors work – they leverage surrounding talent increasingly as it increases). Ant’s ability to consistently make the right play, whether moving the ball on offense or making the right rotation or directing his teammates…all of these bring out the best in those he plays around. That’s what a connector does.

Constantly bouncing on the floor, Ant keeps on a swivel and ready to change direction at any given moment. He is excellent at manipulating not just his pace but his cadence on drives, and takes interior defenders by surprise by his ability to make passes down the throat of the defense when they least expect it. Occasionally he may force the issue or get stuck in a drive, but sports a positive assist-to-turnover ratio despite creating mostly from a standstill.

The case for him is not limited to this role, however. Black’s creativity and skill – prospects of his archetype can be very poor shooters, but Ant is still respectable from distance with decent mechanics, if slow – mean it’s difficult to bake in a specific upside. I’m not sure why Ant couldn’t continue to develop his shot, with off the dribble shooting being the item he most needs to improve to have true primary upside. His catch and shoot mechanics look easily workable, with good results so far in his Arkansas season. Ant has also been showing increased ability to punish PNR unders with pull-ups and deep drops with floaters, but has also already shown himself adaptable in discovering new driving angles, a master of controlling pace on drives who loves to experiment with new ideas based on his opponent.

It is also difficult to find limitations for the freshman on the defensive side. It is rare to find a player who can both fight through screens and guard up in the post, with quick active hands to make strips on digs but also the quick leaping to provide some help-side rim protection and rebound like a wing. I’m skeptical regarding Ant becoming a complete lockdown defender one-on-one, as he will likely struggle to stay in front of the absolute quickest guards, but he is perfectly portable to execute whatever scheme, and, most notably, is quick to snuff out whatever action as the offense sets it up. This, again, makes him the ideal partner for traditional stars. Not only will he get them easier shots on offense, but has the flexibility to plug whatever leaks occur on defense.

Ant, essentially, allows your traditional stars to cut corners, but at a high enough level that he might eventually be considered a star himself. Building your team around offensive firepower? Ant can get them the ball in their spots while probing towards the hoop himself. But more importantly, he can consistently be relied upon to make the other team work to set up their offense, and, perhaps most essential of all, can be trusted to handle whatever new wrinkles are thrown at your team with his elite processing speed. That sounds like a very valuable player, especially in a playoff setting where versatility is crucial. His ability to move to his next assignment seamlessly through a play or stick to who he’s supposed to would make him an easy piece to add to a defense’s foundation, especially at 6’6”/6’7” with quick leaping.

All of this makes me comfortable taking Anthony Black quite high in the 2023 NBA draft, though will continue to see how he progresses, particularly with his shot but also in how he adapts to playing next to Nick Smith Jr. But at this moment I see Black as a worthy candidate to be taken within the top ten, perhaps even in the top 5 for a perfect fit (Houston comes to mind there).

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Nick Smith Jr. is a native of Jacksonville, Arkansas. He shot up the national rankings his senior year at North Little Rock high school to No.1 on certain national ranking sites. Smith Jr. is already considered one of the best guard prospects in the country before playing a regular season game, highlighted by him being a finalist for the Jerry West Award- which goes to the best shooting guards in the country. Nick Smith Jr. combines a nice blend of three-level scoring and playmaking from either the primary or secondary ballhandler role. He also flashes some ability to guard well on the perimeter or even off the ball. Nick Smith Jr. is a star in the making and has enough tools in his bag to support someone taking him in the top 10 of the upcoming NBA draft.

Offensive Intrigue

Part of the Intrigue of Nick Smith Jr.’s offensive game is his shooting ability. In 15 games during the 2021 Nike EYBL, Smith Jr. shot 37% from three on 4.8 attempts per game, according to Cerebro. There is no doubt he will be able to continue his success from three as he continues to rise from high school, College to the NBA. The form is effortless and compact. He can get his shot off catch or off the bounce.

Not only can Smith Jr. get to his spots from outside the arc, but he can also use his handle and shiftiness to shoot from inside the arc. He has a knack for shooting off different platforms as well, he doesn’t necessarily need a a ton of room to get to his shot off in the mid range area. This skill is really valuable for his archetype and role for the next level.

Also, Nick Smith Jr. has great touch around the basket in the half court. He likes to get to his floater a ton. Now, I do think he can rely on the floater a bit too much, but when you are productive as he is with it how can you knock it? I would like to see this year at Arkansas him getting to the rim and finishing through the trees a bit more. Especially with his capability to play off ball, if he is drafted by a team with an already established primary his game can easily translate to playing more off ball and attacking closeouts can be a true boon for him.

Transition is another area of the game that Nick Smith Jr. makes plays. You can tell that the transition game is a canvas for him and his handle, shifitness, aerobactic finishes, and lob passes are the brush strokes. There are a certain bunch of players that when you watch them you feel the confidence they exude from their play on the screen or in person, NIck Smith Jr. is in that group. He excels pushing the pace and finding easy baskets or just shooting in rhythm threes. The below is a mix of highschool and some of his stellar play from his exbition games in Italy before his knee injury.

The 6’5″ combo guard is known for his shooting ability and there is no qualms with that takeaway, but he also shows momentsof playmaking ability. The ability to playmaker from both the primary ballhandler and secondary ballhandler roles. He understands that teams are worried about his shot and reads the game well. If there is a hard closeout he will attack a defense in get them in rotation. Short closeouts and he is shooting that ball with no conscious. He’s a scalable player that will make a coaches decisions on lineup versatility a lot easier.

Defensive upside

Alright enough of the offensive side of things. I will admit it’s hard to look past how easy Nick Smith Jr. makes offense look at times. But we must talk about his defense. When you watch him play you are not equating what you are seeing to the Marcus Smart’s of the world. You are seeing a player who when engaged can be anywhere from neutral to hopefully a consistent positive on the defensive side of the floor. When engaged Smith Jr. does a great job of doing the work early-getting to your landmarks on the floor early, so its it easier to react to the next play. There have already been instances with the Arkansas Razorbacks where he gets to the low man position early and is able to make a play on the ball for easy fastbreak baskets. Not only being in position for help on low man responsibilities, but also stunting at drivers and at points getting two hands on the ball for steals. Smith Jr.’s On ball defense has looked good, but once again the key word is: engaged.

In conclusion

The Arkansas Razorbacks have assembled a team that has defensive versatility, but it lacks in shot creation. This is a perfect opportunity for Nick Smith Jr. to be put in a position to show off his strength which is scoring the ball and using that scoring gravity to set up his teammates for easy looks. I look forward to Nick Smith Jr. taking advantage of this chance to show why he should be talked about as a top-5 pick.

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Defense 

 At 6’7” with a 7’3” wingspan and nimble feet, Walsh is an elite mirrorer at the point of attack. He can slide with quicker wings and swallow them up with his length, and has great recovery speed when he does get beat.

Walsh also has a strong upper body, and is able to leverage this strength to bump ballhandlers off their rhythm when they seem to get a step on him.

Off the ball, Walsh is a mixed bag; he’s a high motor and timely rotator with active hands and length to disrupt would-be scorers. However, he seldom uses his 41” max vertical leap to contest shots above the rim (only 16 blocks in 1,205 pre-college minutes, per Cerebro database). He often swipes at the ball or attempts to take a charge even when he’s in position to challenge a finisher going up. Although he’s not quite as good of a vertical athlete in traffic as his measurables would suggest, Walsh should look to become more assertive as a secondary rim protector.

Driving

Walsh is able to make up for his pedestrian first step off the dribble with his incredibly flexible lower body. While his handle is somewhat basic at the moment, he uses wide crosses and sharp changes of direction to get by his defenders. His flexibility allows him to conceal the final destination of his dribble move until the last moment, unlike stiffer players. He accesses shin angles that are preposterous for a player as tall and long as Walsh. Once he’s able to create a lane for himself, Walsh’s elite stride length is hard to stop:

You’ll notice that most of these positive clips feature Walsh operating with plenty of space. When he’s tasked with creating with multiple defenders in the vicinity, Walsh’s flaws become more evident. His handle is too loose to navigate consistently in close quarters, often losing the ball when faced with defensive pressure. His coordination is an improvement area, as he’s often out of control when dribbling in tight spaces. He’ll need to tighten his handle to reach any sort of creation upside.

Though he’s not the flashiest passer, Walsh is very effective passing off of his own gravity. He has good feel for when he’s successfully drawn two defenders to the ball, and how he can manipulate their positioning to open up a scoring opportunity for a teammate. 

Jordan is at his best attacking in transition, where his long stride length and runway vertical leap are able to shine. He should be a lethal grab-and-go threat for Arkansas this year.

Shooting 

Walsh hasn’t been especially accurate from 3 to date (26.5% in his high school career per Cerebro). His energy transfer is fairly smooth, but when under duress, his lower body mechanics are often compromised. He’ll undoubtedly need to improve his accuracy as a shooter, but he isn’t shy pulling up from deep, even off the dribble. Walsh’s ambition from behind the arc is a good sign for his shooting projection:

Conclusion

Jordan Walsh has several enticing traits that suggest an NBA wing is in here somewhere, but it’s not as clear what that player will look like. Does his handle improve enough to be anything more than a closeout attacker on offense? If not, will his shot be good enough to make him a tenable off-ball player and stay on the court for his defensive impact? No matter how you slice it, Walsh’s pitch relies on significant in one area or another; still, he offers intriguing potential as a wing stopper with various offensive development pathways.

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