FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas coach Eric Musselman is fond of the idea of being able to bring a player with plenty of offensive firepower off his bench if the Razorbacks get off to a slow start.
In his second season at Arkansas, he had just that with guard JD Notae, who went on to average 12.8 points and win Sixth Man of the Year in the Southeastern Conference. To begin the 2021-22 season, Miami transfer guard Chris Lykes is assuming that role.
Entering the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City this week, so far, so good.
Lykes, a 68-game starter with the Hurricanes, has provided 16 or more points twice in three games this season, including a game-high 26 in the 93-80 victory over Northern Iowa last Wednesday. The 5-7 guard can change the complexion of a game in a hurry.
Against the Panthers, he poured in 9 points in his first 5 minutes on the floor.
“He’s had a great attitude about it,” Musselman said. “We’ve talked about it, we’ve discussed it, and I think he’s become comfortable in it. Every player wants to start, but we have not gotten any resistance whatsoever.
“And quite frankly, wherever he plays next year, he’s probably going to come off the bench, so it’s not bad to learn that role.”
Twenty-seven times in Lykes’ college career he has come off the bench, and he has shown to be effective when doing so. According to Sports Reference, he has averaged 9.7 points on 43.0% shooting and 40.2% from three-point range.
In games he has started, his shooting numbers dip a bit to 41.1% and 33.7%, respectively.
Last Wednesday marked the second time Lykes has supplied his team with 20-plus points in a reserve role. He added 21 points off the bench against Clemson in the final game of Miami’s 2019-20 season.
After the Razorbacks' most recent win, Lykes said his current role takes him back to his freshman season with the Hurricanes. That 2017-18 Miami team had a talented roster with three eventual NBA players and earned a 6-seed in the NCAA Tournament.
“I was the spark plug,” Lykes added. “That's what it feels like (now), although I do play a lot of minutes if I'm playing well, so I just try to embrace the moment and produce when I'm out there. … My teammates did a good job finding me, as they always do.
“My mindset was be a little more aggressive. I talked to (Stanley Umude) before the game and I think I was just thinking too much out there the first couple of games. I just took more of an aggressive approach on offense and then made sure I was more locked in on defense.”
With a 4-of-7 showing from three-point range against the Panthers, Lykes improved to 6 of 10 beyond the arc this season. He is second on the team in perimeter scores, trailing only Notae (10).
According to CBBAnalytics, he is shooting 50% on deep threes (attempted three-plus feet beyond the arc). Arkansas, as a team, too, has had greater success from distance when Lykes is in the lineup.
The Razorbacks have made 48.6% of their three-point attempts over Lykes’ 129 offensive possessions, according to HoopLens analytics. That figure falls to 32.4% when he is off the floor.
And Lykes did perform better on the defensive end against Northern Iowa. After giving up 10 scores on 14 shots as the nearest defender to Mercer and Gardner-Webb players, the Panthers finished just 1 of 5 from the floor against Lykes in his 30-plus minutes.
“He’s doing a phenomenal job whenever his name is called,” Notae said. “Last year I knew how hard that role is. But you’ve just got to embrace it.”