Projected top-10 pick Nick Smith is expected to return from a knee injury Saturday for Arkansas matchup with the Mississippi State Bulldogs, a source told ESPN.
Smith, one of the top freshmen in college basketball and a preseason First Team All-SEC selection, has been out of action since Dec. 17 and has only played in five games this season.
Smith’s return is a major boon for a Razorbacks squad that is 6-5 in the SEC and have won their last five games in conference play, including a win over Kentucky at Rupp Arena on Tuesday night.
Smith, the projected No. 6 pick in ESPN’s 2023 mock draft, is a dynamic 6-foot-5 combo guard with outstanding ballhandling, perimeter shooting and playmaking ability.
When Arkansas announced Smith would be out indefinitely with “right knee management” back in December, some speculated it would be the last he’d be seen in a college basketball uniform due to his projection as a high draft pick.
Smith pushed back on that notion at the end of January, tweeting “you think I came back to school not to play…. Yall must not know my character,” and it appears he will make good on that promise tomorrow as Arkansas looks to make a final push towards the SEC tournament and NCAA tournament with one of the most talented rosters in college basketball.
Jonathan Givony is an NBA Draft expert and the founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analytics service utilized by NBA, NCAA and International teams.