Arkansas star Jordan Smith Jr. gets everyone's attention

The Arkansas basketball Bahamas bonanza is generating a lot of buzz a few months before the 2026-2027 regular season begins. With each game the Razorbacks play in this midsummer exhibition tour, the more fans are getting revved up for November. Jordan Smith Jr. is one of the bigger reasons for the growing hype surrounding UA hoops. Throwing down a 21-point, 11-rebound, 11-assist triple double will definitely get people talking for all the right reasons. Yet, Smith's presence on the court goes so much deeper than the eye-popping stats, as Best of Arkansas Sports explains:

"“He impacts the game in so many ways,” (John) Calipari said. “If he’s making a bunch of shots, we’re in very good shape. But we can win without him making shots. And he is a way better shooter than people give him credit for.”

Arkansas basketball radio commentator Matt Zimmerman chimed in:

“Jordan’s constantly reaching in an uppercut way, where you don’t get called for a lot of fouls,” Zimmerman said. “He’s not hammering down on the ball handler’s hands and arms.”

There seems to be a higher basketball IQ here, and more specifically, a high basketball IQ on defense, being able to be bothersome and disruptive for opponents without committing ticky-tack reach-in fouls which lead to foul trouble. This is a better, more complete kind of player than what Arkansas was generally able to put on the floor last season - not that UA didn't have quality players last season, just that this raises the bar. This is exactly why there is reason to think that Arkansas' Sweet 16 standard, established in the first two years of John Calipari's tenure in Fayetteville, can be elevated to the Elite Eight and, quite possibly, to the holy grail: the 2027 Final Four.

When a guard is snapping down 11 rebounds, it's not just a reflection of desire and tenacity, though those qualities very much exist for Jordan Smith. A player has to have a nose for the ball and a feel for the game. Rebounding is about positioning and toughness, but also about sensing where the rebound will carom and knowing how to take the right angle to the ball.

Dishing out 11 assists shows Jordan Smith has no problem facilitating offense and sharing the ball. He doesn't need to be the guy shooting the shot, as Calipari referred to ... but if he has to shoot, he's certainly capable of that.

Jordan Smith diving into all aspects of basketball - offense and defense, passing and shooting, rebounding and perimeter assignments - gives us a taste of what he already is.

The tantalizing part: what Jordan Smith can ultimately become at Arkansas.