FAYETTEVILLE — There were murmurs this preseason that Adrio Bailey was more than serious about extending his range as a junior.
Last season, Bailey made only 9 of 37 midrange jumpshots, according to shot chart data from TheStepien, so any progress in that regard would have been welcomed by Mike Anderson. Through five games in November, Bailey has matched that figure on just 14 attempts.
Following a career-high 20-point night against UC Davis on Nov. 12 in which he knocked down 5 of 8 shots, including the first 3-pointer of his career, the Louisiana native attributed his early success to long nights - sometimes as late as 3-4 a.m. - in Arkansas' practice facility.
Bailey has made the sacrifices and strides to grow into a productive 4, and Anderson has taken notice.
"He’s got some shots he’s knocking down. That’s good," Anderson said. "What I like is he’s attacking the basket as well. He’s getting to the free throw line and he’s making free throws. ... Adrio is an energy guy and a lot of times you play with that energy and you play with a guy like Daniel who’s demanding a whole lot of attention, obviously somebody’s going to be the recipient of all the attention that Dan’s getting.
"(Adrio is) going to be the recipient of what there is to come. You have to take advantage of it."
Bailey's offense has been a big plus for the Razorbacks in the first month of the season. Lineups featuring him are scoring at a 1.10 point-per-possession clip and shooting nearly 59 percent on 2-point attempts. Over Arkansas' last two games, Bailey is 9 of 11 from the floor and 6 of 8 at the foul line.
Another testament to his improvement is an offensive rating - points produced by a player per 100 possessions - of 141.6, according to SportsReference. As a freshman, that figure sat at 98.9 over 199 minutes played.
Bailey has also been very protective of the basketball this season, turning it over twice in 129 minutes. He has only one turnover - vs. UT-Arlington - in his last 94 minutes of action, which equates to a 5.5 percent turnover rate that ranks 35th nationally.
"He’s getting better. He’s getting better," Anderson said. "The more he lets the game come to him, I think the more he’s going to have an opportunity to shine. I just want him to continue to play with that energy."
While his positives on the offensive end of the floor garner the most shine, Bailey was a vital part in Arkansas' defense turning in its best first month of the season in terms of defensive efficiency in five years. The Razorbacks allowed just .84 points per possession in five games and turned opponents over on 25.4 percent of their possessions – good for fifth in the country.
Bailey has played the role of rim protector at times (4 blocks), most notably against Texas late in regulation, but his active hands have caused problems as well and contributed to the Razorbacks' 11.3 percent steal rate. Entering Saturday's game against 7-1 Florida International, he is second on the team with 19 defensive deflections - a stat Anderson's staff keeps close track of. Ten of the 19 came in Arkansas' wins over Montana State and UT-Arlington.
"You expect all that from a guy that probably, of all the guys we got, has probably played the most minutes of anybody here," Anderson said.