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Ft. Smith Southwest Times Record
Why Arkansas basketball's youngest player is impressing John Calipari
- Story byFt. Smith Southwest Times Record
- Why Arkansas basketball's youngest player is impressing John Calipari
FAYETTEVILLE — Scouts from around the NBA converged inside Bud Walton Arena this past weekend. Arkansas basketball — filled with potential first-round picks in next summer's NBA Draft — held its second annual Pro Day under John Calipari .
The event was closed to the media, but the Hall of Fame coach provided a brief statement on social media about the day. He was pleased with his team's togetherness in an event designed to highlight individual brilliance, and he shouted out a few players who stood out.
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The first name out of Calipari's lips was the youngest player on the roster.
"Davion (Thompson), wow," Calipari said. "Seventeen-years old. He's 17-years old. What?"
Thompson was one of the final additions to the Razorbacks roster for the upcoming season. It's feeling increasingly likely that he's going to play a pivotal role as Calipari hunts a breakthrough past the Sweet 16 in his third season with the program.
Thompson reclassified from the 2027 class following the Nike EYBL Peach Jam, which ended July 19. He was a four-star recruit who impressed during the Hogs' preseason tour in The Bahamas despite only having a small amount of practice time beforehand.
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Calipari said Thompson was "more ready" than he anticipated. The 6-foot-2 guard from Illinois has since only raised his stock.
"Davion's gotten better because he's in a fistfight every game, every day," Calipari said.
The coach credits Thompson's growth to the defensive challenges provided by Georgia transfer Jeremiah Wilkinson and five-star freshman Jordan Smith Jr. They're forcing the should-be high school senior to mature if he wants to find success in practice.
Thompson arrived on campus profiled as a gifted scorer. He can create for himself, shoot off the dribble and set up other teammates. In 16 games during EYBL summer season, he averaged 19.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.95 assists while shooting 42.4% from 3-point range.
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Arkansas fans saw the first glimpses of this offensive prowess during the Red-White Scrimmage. There wasn't much defense played in the intrasquad exhibition, but the lefty had a quick scoring burst that included drives to the paint and jumpers behind-the-arc. He also won the 3-point contest.
His versatile game will fit well in the Arkansas backcourt. He can play next to Smith as an off-ball shooter and serve as the point guard in a lineup with Wilkinson. The Hogs might even play all three at the same time with Smith sliding to the 3 if they want to go small.
Together, the trio is preparing each other for the grueling style that awaits in the SEC. Thompson is benefitting the most from the competitive nature of practices.
(Wilkinson's) hands are active, and Davion's got to go against it every day. It's almost not fair," Calipari said. "If he doesn't go against him, he's going against a middle linebacker in Jordan, who physically is, you know. So what's happened is he's learning to play through bumps, but he's also learning to throw his chest and play that way."
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Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at jfuller@usatodayco.com or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Why Arkansas basketball's youngest player is impressing John Calipari
