Hogs Forward Brazile With a Chance to Make History

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Trevon Brazile has a chance this season to do something has never been done in the history of Arkansas Basketball. After Anthony Black and Nick Smith Jr. were both drafted in the first round last season, if Trevon Brazile is drafted in the first round this year, it will be the first time in school history that the Hogs will have consecutive first round picks.

I sat down with Tyler Rucker of NoCeilings, a rising NBA Draft outlet, and we talked all things Pro-Hogs. You can find Tyler and his crew over at noceilingsnba.com and you can follow Tyler on Twitter (X) here: twitter.com/tyler_rucker .

Here’s the best of my conversation with Rucker, where he gives his insight on the three newest Hog draftees, as well as the “gem” in Fayetteville next year, Trevon Brazile.

Will: Give me your thoughts on the destinations of Black, Smith, and Walsh.

Tyler: I’m intrigued with each place they went. I’m probably the most excited for Anthony Black especially from what I saw in Summer League in person. I think the Arkansas team last year had a lot of talent, but also was a tough fit. I talked to some coaches behind the scenes and they said the spacing was a real problem for some of our guys. Obviously with Nick (Smith) being out, that was tough, and then him trying to come back and play through an injury, that’s tough too.

Will: Yeah I agree. 

Tyler: I think you saw with Anthony Black the additional spacing is going to help him out a ton. I know the percentages shooting wise didn’t average out in Summer League, but I don’t get too caught up in that, I get more excited seeing the impact on the court, and I think he’s going to be a stud. The fit with Orlando on paper is tough, just because they have so many guards, but I think his upside… the height, the playmaking, the defense, it’s only a matter of time before things start to click for him. Orlando’s in a spot where if they have him running the show, they’re going to have some real size. Definitely excited where he ended up. 

Tyler: Smith is going to be interesting in Charlotte. On draft night I liked the pick, you got a first round pick after you add Brandon Miller, it’s intriguing value to have someone like Nick Smith. I think he’s just going to have to figure it out when it comes to the pace of the game. One thing I thought about his time at Arkansas was he always looked like he was trying to play so fast. I understand that with the injury and being a pre-season top-five pick hearing all that outside noise can be stressful. I think it could be a good thing he ended up in Charlotte because they can be patient and let him find his groove. Maybe he plays off the ball to start and then they put him on ball a little more… it’ll be interesting because their roster is all over the place.

Will: I agree with that as well. Lamelo, Rozier, Bouknight, Martin. Now you add Smith and Bailey and it’s a pretty weird guard room.

Tyler: Honestly, as a Celtics fan, I would say I was lower on Jordan Walsh coming out of the draft, but it was because I thought he needed another year. Seeing him in Summer League you can tell he’s excited to start taking on more of a role. He looked so confident on the court which really shocked me. Shot looked way better than I thought it was going to be at this point from a developmental standpoint. I think Boston’s roster is going to have a lot of mouths to feed, but Jordan’s best ability is his talent as a defender. If you can defend, you’ll get minutes. He’s one of those wild-cards, if he can really pop in camp and come in and hit shots when needed, they’re gonna try and find a spot for him. 

Will: When it comes to Anthony Black, what should the expectations be for him in his rookie year?

Tyler: I don’t think First-Team All-Rookie is crazy. It’s tough though, because you want rookies to have success right away, but they’re just not ready. I think the biggest thing is you just want to see the game start to slow down for him. If you get to post All-Star break and he looks more confident and the shot is starting to come around, I think you’re going to be really happy. The second half of the year for young players is super important. If they end the season on a high note, they can carry that momentum into a full offseason. A lot of people forget that the pre-draft process is a media circus. Traveling all over to get workouts in, interviewing with teams, while trying to work out on your own. It’s a little crazy, that’s why I think the first off-season is so crucial for rookies. You see guys who live in the gym, thrive that first offseason, and I’ve heard from scouts that you have to drag Anthony Black out of the gym. I’m not worried about that part with him, just wonder how long until the confidence starts to flow on the court. I imagine Orlando will be patient with him as a rookie, but he’s got so many tools that comes with his game. He can impact the game without scoring, so I think they’ll find a way to slowly bring him along and let that confidence build. Eventually though, I think he can be a star. I really really like him.

Will: I think at Arkansas it was tough for him because of the Smith and Brazile injuries, it really made Black have to be the first option, and he’s just not that type of player. He can play with the ball in his hands, but he’s not a score first guy. I think he has the options around him now in Orlando, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see him take a big jump. 

Will: When it comes to Nick Smith Jr., everyone saw the tank in his draft stock after his injury, do you think he could be the steal of the draft eventually?

Tyler: Absolutely. We’ve seen some previous drafts where guys were projected Top Five picks heading into the year and got injured or had a tough season, and it took some time for them to develop and really figure out things. Nick’s just one of those guys where you saw him kind of force the issue a little bit, he tried to get to his spots and get shots up to get in the scoring column. He had some games where I said “There you go” but like I said with Anthony Black, guards just take a lot of time to develop. You get impatient with some of these guys, but if you look back at the best point guards in the league, it took close to five years for them to take that jump. Smith has to find out his role as a rookie. Is he going to come in and be a Jordan Clarkson type guy and space the floor, or come off the bench and be a microwave? He’s a great shooter, he just needs to let the game come to him, add more to his game, and be more consistent offensively. 

Will: You said you weren’t as high on Walsh, did that change any after his performance in Summer League?

Tyler: Definitely. Whenever I’m evaluating these guys, there’s a point where I say “You need another year.” Walsh was to a point where that was true, but if he goes back, I’m not sure if he’s that type of player that you all of a sudden feed touches. He’s a game wrecker. He can make plays away from the ball without scoring, he hustles, and he plays tough defense. At Arkansas I was worried about his shot because it didn’t look like it was very confident. Going into Summer League though, he looked like he was oozing with confidence and looked completely different from college. The situations are different. The Celtics are letting him be more free and telling him to shoot it. Seeing him even warm up, the shot already looked better than it was at Arkansas. The defensive tools are absolutely special. If he can be a lockdown defender and flirt with mid-30s from three early on, he’s going to be a hell of a piece for the Celtics to develop. I’m not being biased, I just saw him in Summer League and saw a guy who looked night and day different than he did in college. Some G-League time may be good for him, but it would not surprise me if he has a great camp and the coaching staff wants him on the Celtics roster. 

Will: I’m going to switch gears here and talk about the gem on the Hogs current roster. Trevon Brazile was one of those guys last year where his stock was rising at an insane rate just because of those games in Maui. After his ACL injury last season, where do you see him right now on your draft board?

Tyler: I’m personally really excited for him. It’s interesting when you ask around the league, Brazile is a name kind of all over the place. It’s a name that some people are excited about, and others are in wait-and-see mode. I think he’s a guy who will be desired by NBA teams. If he takes a step forward with some of his strengths, he’s going to be coveted by front offices everywhere. He can potentially be a floor-spacer. Trevon could be the piece in the offense that gets more touches because of the players that left Arkansas. The ACL injury is a real bummer, he showed his elite athleticism last year with his big rejections and dunks. I think if he comes back healthy, the outside shot is consistent, and he gets more comfortable as a rim protector, he could 100% be a Top 20 guy. I watched those Maui games and knew that it was the start of a confidence train for a guy whose potential hadn’t been fully unlocked yet. I’m super excited for him this year.