FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas forward Justin Smith is playing at a first team All-SEC level over the Razorbacks’ last five games.
In that span, which encompasses wins over Missouri, Florida, Alabama, LSU and South Carolina, the graduate transfer is averaging 17.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. He also added a career-high 5 steals and 4 assists against the Gators to pair with 15 points and 6 rebounds.
Smith’s play has received a healthy amount of praise from teammates and coaches. Arkansas coach Eric Musselman recently said Smith is playing “like an NBA player” and believes he is among the best defenders in the country taking on the 3-5 positions because of his versatility.
Offensively, Smith has seemingly flipped a switch and performed like a conference player of the year candidate in the second halves of those games.
He made 10 of 20 shots prior to halftime, a solid percentage for a frontcourt player. Smith, though, converted 24 of 31 (77.4%) attempts after the break.
Of the 24 second-half scores, 18 were a dunk or layup. Musselman said Thursday that Smith has been a plus in terms of aggressiveness during the run.
“Offensive rebounding, defensive rebounding, he attacks the rim," Musselman added. "We had him handling the ball in pick-and-roll the other night. We ran three of those. He had an and-1. He’s rolling hard to the rim. He’s picking and popping sometimes and shooting a three or turning it into an iso.
“I think his confidence, our play package we’ve geared a little bit more toward him as the season has gone on. He’s just doing a great job for us, to be honest.”
Steady in nature and production, Smith has scored in double figures in all but two games since returning Jan. 16 from right ankle surgery. He has been durable as well, averaging more than 34 minutes in the team’s last 11 games.
With Smith on the floor the last five games, Arkansas’ offense hit 54% of its two-point attempts against 48.1% when he sat, according to HoopLens analytics. Lineups featuring him scored at a 1.07 point-per-possession clip, too.
That figure dropped to 1.03 PPP over 65 possessions in his absence.
“I mean, Justin’s a great player,” Arkansas guard Moses Moody said Tuesday. “He can do it all. He can hit the shot, he can block shots, he’ll get on the floor. He’s just a multi-purpose guy.
“You see how much better we are when he’s on the floor.”
It is likely Saturday’s game against Texas A&M will be the final time Smith takes the floor in Bud Walton Arena. Over 14 home games this season, he has averaged 12.5 points and 7.8 rebounds — up from 5.3 on the road.
Statistically, Smith is coming off arguably the best all-around month of his college career. He put up 13.8 points on 65% shooting inside the arc and 8 rebounds in February, and he continued his strong play with 22 points and 8 rebounds at South Carolina earlier this week.
Arkansas associate head coach David Patrick said Smith is a leader playing with a sense of urgency.
“He sees an NCAA Tournament on his horizon,” Patrick added. “He’s a force for us on offense and defense, and a calming force. At a timeout when we get on the (players) he’s a calming force.
“How he’s playing at this time of year really helps us.”