Freshmen Karter Knox and Billy Richmond are wild cards for Arkansas basketball, John Calipari

Despite all of the fresh faces inside the Arkansas basketball program this winter, many of the roles within the team already feel predictable.

John Calipari has a group of nine core players in his first season with the Razorbacks. Trevon Brazile — the lone holdover — will stretch the floor and attack the basket off the dribble so fellow big-man Jonas Aidoo can be a defensive enforcer and post presence. Zvonimir Ivišić will be a hub for the offense off the bench with his three-point shooting and passing capabilities.

Johnell Davis was one of the most highly-regarded transfers in the offseason, and he will be the scoring focal point for the Hogs. DJ Wagner and Boogie Fland will join Davis in the backcourt, with both players sharing point guard duties, but Fland spacing the floor as a reliable three-point shooter.

Adou Thiero will do a little bit of everything. The 6-foot-8 wing is Arkansas’ best defensive wing and a capable contributor on offense. If he develops a three-point shot, Thiero could log more minutes than anyone on the roster.

The last two players are the wild cards of the season. Freshmen Karter Knox and Billy Richmond were five-star recruits in the 247Sports Composite rankings and followed Calipari from Kentucky to Arkansas with their commitments. They’re both athletic wings with worlds of potential, and they’re development could be the difference between a good or great season in Calipari’s debut.

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Are Richmond and Knox ready to contribute on offense and defense? Does either player have an elite skillset that supersedes some of the older players on the roster? Those questions won’t be answered until there’s more evidence on the court, but both players possess one trait that is a base-line requirement in the transfer-portal era of college basketball.

“They’re physical,” Calipari said…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/freshmen-karter-knox-billy-richmond-090920361.html

Author : Ft. Smith Southwest Times Record

Publish date : 2024-10-23 09:09:00

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