Arkansas Basketball coach Eric Musselman is still building his roster for next season, working the transfer market to secure as much talent as possible for a run at a national championship during the 2022-23 season.
However, he won’t have many carry overs from the 2021-22 season as nearly all players have graduated, entered the transfer market or declared for the NBA Draft.
Presently, the only Hogs that don’t fit those three criteria are Devo Davis, Kamani Johnson and Jaxson Robinson.
Who will be starting next year for the Arkansas Basketball team?
JD Notae, Au’Diese Toney and Jaylin Williams have all declared for the NBA Draft.
Connor Vanover, KK Robinson and Chance Moore have entered the transfer market.
Stanley Umude, Trey Wade and Chris Lykes have no college eligibility remaining in their careers.
Fortunately, Musselman has the luxury of retooling his roster by having one of the top recruiting classes in the country.
Anthony Black, Nick Smith and Jordan Walsh— 5-star high school recruits will be expected to contribute heavily next season.
Assuming that Jaylin Williams keeps his name in the 2022 NBA Draft, the Hogs’ starting lineup next season will be unrecognizable from last season.
Arkansas Razorbacks 2022-23 projected starting lineup
G – Anthony Black
G – Nick Smith
F – Jalen Graham
F -Jordan Walsh
F – Makhel Mitchell
None of those five players were on the team last year. Graham and Mitchell come to the Arkansas as transfers from other collegiate programs. The remaining three slots are likely to be filled out by “The Big Three.”
If Jaylin Williams takes his name out of the NBA Draft before the June deadline, he can return to the team and resume his role as the team’s starting post player.
Regardless of Williams, this team is going to look dramatically different from the 2021-22 Elite Eight squad.
However, the expectations will remain high, as ESPN has the Razorbacks as the No. 1 team in the country heading into next season.