Nick Smith Jr.’s Status Likely Up in Air for Awhile

Freshman guard has a troublesome knee issue but is it nagging or something serious?

Author:
Andy Hodges
Publish date:
Dec 22, 2022 10:45 AM EST

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It's going to be maddening for a few weeks.

With freshman guard Nick Smith Jr. apparently going to be a game day decision — maybe each game — Arkansas fans will have their blood pressure going up and down constantly.

The rumors help. With those, people that get it right that week can tell everyone they knew it while everybody else didn't. Hey, sooner or later, just about every one of them will probably come true.

"Nick is a competitor and he looked forward to playing for the Razorbacks," Hogs coach Eric Musselman said after an 85-51 win over UNC-Asheville. "He's kind of been in and out of the lineup, or whatever, and we just want him to get healthy as quickly as possible and for him to be 100 percent."

Nick Smith-UNC Asheville — Arkansas Razorbacks guard Nick Smith Jr. sits on the bench during the game against the UNC Asheville Bulldogs at Bud Walton Arena. (Nelson Chenault / USA TODAY Sports)

All of that tends to point towards some type of injury that isn't going to be made worse by playing and getting some type of surgery on it won't particularly help it.

At least that's what you hope. The thought anybody would try to get it a little better so he could play one or two more games would be a bad idea for everybody involved.

While it would be nice, it may not be necessary.

"For the other guys, everybody got an opportunity tonight," Musselman said.

If you had Joseph Pinion and Jalen Graham punched on your bingo card for Wednesday night to lead a scoring parade, please yell a louder.

I didn't expect it, either.

"Joseph Pinion did a great job," Musselman said. "He stepped up and knocked down some shots. His experience was really important playing 19 minutes tonight. That was great for Joseph.

Joseph Pinion-UNC Asheville — Arkansas Razorbacks guard Joseph Pinion (5) goes up for a dunk in the second half against the UNC Asheville Bulldogs at Bud Walton Arena. Arkansas won 85-51. (Nelson Chenault / USA TODAY Sports)

As always, Musselman found a way to use it for evaluation when the Hogs start playing in the SEC. That grind starts next week and things will get more interesting.

Now he's got that all-important teaching film of several players who haven't seen the floor much.

"The game the way it unfolded with Nick not playing, (Trevon Brazile) not playing and Jordan Walsh and Anthony Black getting two fouls in the first half, it allowed us to ... what could happen in the next couple games for other guys to figure out that maybe we play three bigs at a time and we have to figure it out on the fly."

In other words, if this team can have Smith hitting full stride by the second week of January, things are going to be more interesting heading into February when everything really does mean more.

We start sorting out the seeding and who should be high and low.

Musselman has to prepare for the possibility this problem may never let Smith get this team to the full potential all year. That wasn't going to happen when Brazile went down with a season-ending knee injury a couple of weeks ago.

He's not going into a lot of details about it, either. That doesn't keep us from asking him every opportunity, a few times several different ways.

122122-Ricky Council IV-UNC-Asheville-andy — Arkansas Razorbacks Ricky Council IV during their win over UNC-Asheville on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022, at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark. (Andy Hodges / allHOGS Images)

"I'm not going to, I mean, he's out indefinitely and that's what it is," Musselman said. "So, there's nothing else. He's out indefinitely and he's going to continue to rehab as best as he can."

The players don't sound like they have a clue, either.

Meanwhile, Musselman will just keep figuring what the guys that can play can do.

So far that's looking like it's not exactly doom and gloom.

The Hogs (11-1) will have a few days off for the holidays before returning to campus to begin preparations for the SEC schedule.

Arkansas will open up league play on Wednesday, December 28, at LSU (11-1). Tipoff between the Razorbacks and Tigers is set for 8 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN2 or ESPNU and fuboTV.