Smith Willing To Do What It Takes to Lead Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Razorbacks shut the door on their trip to the Bahamas with a 4-0 record at the Baha Mar Summer League.

Some other teams, ahem, Ole Miss weren't so forunate to finish off their foregin tours in similar fashion. One of the biggest takeways from the Razorbacks trip in Nassau was how good No. 2 overall prospect and potential No. 1 pick in the 2027 NBA Draft Jordan Smith, Jr. looked in his collegiate debut.

While it might've been a meaningless exhibition in the grand scheme of college basketball, it served two purposes, getting 15 new players accustomed to one another and for fans to get a glimpse of what's to come.

There are some out ther predicting Arkansas to go on a run to the national championship.

Others have the Final Four on their mind.

All of that is up in the air right now, but there is a consensus opinion on the naitonal scene that Smith truly is the real deal at the point guard position. He averaged over 17 points, six assists, five rebounds and three steals per game, which includes a 48% mark from the field and 36% beyond the arc.

Smith also put on an entertaining triple-double effort in a 40-point win against Carleton University, the reigning national champions out of Canada. The 6-foot-2, 205 pound guard scored 27 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.

“All of the offensive stuff is cool, but I’ll really do anything to win,” Smith said after a 106-59 victory over the Bahamas National Team. “If that’s getting the six assists, if that’s getting blocks and steals, I really just do that. The points are really cool, but I’d rather see us win and see my teammates happy.”

Even his assistant coaches have been wowed by Smith's ability to impact the game on either end of the court. Arkansas assistant coach Bruiser Flint, who has been by John Calipari's side for six seasons referred to his star guard's energy as "unbelievable " at all times.

“I’ve been around a long time, I haven’t seen people play as hard as he does on every single play,” Flint said following the Razorbacks' victory over Toros del Valle. “His energy level is unbelievable. He has got a chance to be a really, really good player.

“And because he is the guy with the ball, that gets to be infectious. The guys around him have to play the same way. Even if Jordan’s not scoring, he will go rebound and play good [defense]. That carries over when you have guys do that every single play.”

Arkansas will potentially play three exhibition games ahead of the 2026-27 season against the likes of Gonzaga, Memphis and Kansas beginning in mid-October.

Sign up to our free newsletter, and follow us on Facebook, X (Twitter) for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google