Razorback Thursday Practice Observations

Arkansas forward Dustin Thomas goes through practice Monday, July 25, 2016, in Fayetteville.
Arkansas forward Dustin Thomas goes through practice Monday, July 25, 2016, in Fayetteville.

— Arkansas held its fourth pre-Spain practice in Bud Walton Arena on Thursday afternoon.

The first hour of practice was open to media, so here are some observations. As with the first few days, the disclaimer is that it is only a portion of one practice and no one should draw overreaching conclusions from an hour in late July.

— Shooting drills were a focus for most of the open portion of practice before the team transitioned into a live segment emphasizing rebounding.

More from WholeHogSports

http://www.wholehog…">Monday practice observations

http://www.wholehog…">Tuesday practice observations

http://www.wholehog…">Wednesday practice observations

— Dustin Thomas has really shot the ball well this week, an area of his game that wasn’t necessarily a strong suit in his two years at Colorado when he shot a combined 23.1 percent from 3 and 61.3 from the line. He did show marked improvement from his freshman to sophomore season, jumping from 18 to 32 percent from 3 (albeit on small sample sizes) and from 55 to 68 percent from the line. He was mid-to-high 30s on 2-point jumpers both years in Boulder. It’s clear he’s improved his form since he arrived in Fayetteville. He’s worked to fix a leg kick that led to him fading away rather than going straight up, throwing off his mechanics. He’s also worked on keeping his feet square. At times he drops the ball down to his waist, which slows his release, but in general his form looks good and his results have been stellar so far this week.

He does kick his feet out in that clip, but his balance has been solid in drills and he's really shot the ball well most of the week. It’s very apparent he’s confident in his shot, so if it translates to game action, that will be huge for spacing. He’s made a handful of really nice passes this week, too. Someone is going to really have to come on in a big way for Thomas not to start and play 20-25 minutes a night.

— Adrio Bailey’s combination of aggression and athleticism has stood out this week. Unlike most freshmen, he isn’t feeling the game out. He’s pushing it full throttle, which has led to some out-of-control plays. It’s clear he’s still adjusting to the speed of the game and the action is moving a bit fast for him, but he stays in attack mode. As the game slows down, his athleticism should start to shine even more. He has the highest upside of any of the 4s, simply because of his physical ability.

— Manny Wakins was sick and missed practice. He may not get enough playing time to accumulate the stats or have a high enough profile to earn SEC all-defense honors this year, but he’s guarded at a very high level this week.

— The practices are great in the sense that there are a lot of defensive issues, whether it be hedging correctly, switching or rotating, that are being missed and then corrected. With so many newcomers, that’s invaluable.

— Obviously Moses Kingsley has been in LA at the Nike camp this week. Hopefully he’ll be back tomorrow (more on him in a sec). His presence greatly alters the rebounding-centric segment of practice today if he’s there, simply because he easily possesses the best combination of size, strength, athletic ability and rebounding instincts on the team. No one dominated on the glass today, but that reaffirms the team’s identity of being longer and more athletic as a whole. They should be better-suited to gang rebound, even going down the lineup to some of the guards.

— Brachen Hazen continues to flash a good feel for finding the ball on the glass, slipping into unoccupied spaces and anticipating where the miss is going. He’s done that a few times this week.

He’s working to add strength and gain weight, but holding off his man on the defensive glass will be an issue at times until that happens. Still, his instincts appear to be good.

— Arlando Cook showed off some range on his jumper today. He had turned down quite a few open looks the first three days this week, so that was interesting to see. Even hit a 3. Last year, he only attempted 12 3s (hitting two) in 29 games at his JUCO, but was a 70 percent foul shooter. He tends to cock the ball back over his head a bit, but he has some potential in the mid-range.

That shot may not be one he takes often (or needs to), but it was interesting to see him not pass it up like he had been. He’s got good size and a good motor, which could be what gets him on the floor. Bailey and Hazen have more potential, but he’d probably be ahead of them if the season started tomorrow. He won’t be a big scorer, but has scored on the freshmen fairly regularly this week. Effort is a skill and he gives it.

— Dusty Hannahs nearly finished what would have been a nasty one-handed, tomahawk alley-oop in one drill but couldn’t get it to go down. Was still impressive. Each practice, he channels his inner Steph Curry and swishes at least one 35-40 foot shot. Not really a surprise, but it’s always entertaining.

— Jaylen Barford has the strength to get to the rim almost at will, but looks comfortable in the mid-range game when he’s walled off. Has hit a few fadeaway 12-18 footers this week.

It will be interesting to see how he balances pulling up for the mid-range jumper and driving deep into the paint, because he seems to really like the pull-up jumper, which he’s hit fairly consistently. He also has the strength to draw a considerable amount of fouls (and the ability to knock down a high rate of free throws) if he makes a concerted effort to get all the way to the rim.

— Kingsley wrapped up in LA today. Judging by what’s come out of it, he’s had his moments this week.


DraftExpress.com’s Joshua Riddell took fairly extensive notes on Kingsley and has him pegged as a mid-second round pick who could slide up to a late first or early second rounder with improvements. DraftExpress is easily the best NBA draft/scouting service out there, so Riddell’s opinion carries some merit. NBADraft.net listed Kingsley as a late first-rounder in a recent mock draft.

— Kingsley’s big calling card as a pro prospect is his elite athleticism for a 5 and how he projects as a shot blocker in the league. He can be an energy big providing rim protection and some finishing ability off the bench at the next level. Riddell noted that he needs to become more disciplined defensively and not always chase blocks. Noted that he needs to improve his efficiency out of the post and that while his shooting form looks good at times, his shot has a hitch in it when it’s off and he’d be more consistent if he got more lift. Improving his shooting — both from the line and mid-range — will be key. Overall it sounds like Kingsley had a solid week. Would expect nothing less than for him to have a huge senior season for Arkansas. Hopefully he’s back in time to join in practice tomorrow.

Upcoming Events