Eric Musselman evaluates impact of Jordan Walsh off the bench

As a top 25 recruit coming out of high school this past offseason, Jordan Walsh didn’t envision coming off the bench for Arkansas.

He’s mostly been a starter this season, but head coach Eric Musselman has been tinkering with the lineups recently and believes it’s actually benefitting Walsh to wait a few minutes before coming into the game.

“We could still change lineups based on opponents, but certainly the last two games Jordan [Walsh] has done a fabulous job coming off the bench and giving us defensive energy,” Musselman said after defeating Kentucky on Tuesday night. “He’s done a good job of rebounding the ball … and he did a good job of cutting without the basketball.”

In the past two games Walsh has averaged 27.5 minutes off the bench. He’s basically a starter that Musselman gives a few minutes of rest before coming into the game. He played 33 minutes in last week’s win over South Carolina and only scored four points. He went on to score 13 points in 22 minutes against Kentucky.

Despite the scoring discrepencies, Musselman likes what he seeing out of his star freshman. He’s averaging 7.5 points and 3.9 rebounds this season, providing key production to an Arkansas team that has struggled down the stretch this season.

Walsh and the Razorbacks will take on Mississippi State Saturday afternoon inside Bud Walton Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET live on ESPNU as Arkansas looks to earn its fourth-straight win against a conference opponent.

Fellow star freshman Nick Smith Jr. is set return from injury against Mississippi State, which is a huge get for Arkansas. He hasn’t played since mid-December, but averaged 12.8 points in five games played. He’s the No. 6 overall prospect in the 2023 NBA Draft class, and should excell alongside Walsh in Musselman’s offense