Eric Musselman says Jalen Graham was 'phenomenal' in Baylor loss, gives constructive criticism

Arkansas might not have survived the trip to Baylor on Saturday, losing to the Bears 67-64 in the Big-12/SEC Challenge, but head coach Eric Musselman was still able to find some positivce takeaways from his team’s performance.

Musselman singled out senior forward Jalen Graham after the game, praising him for his strong all-around effort and providing energy for the Hogs off the bench. Still, Musselman wasn’t a fan of the fact that he turned the ball over three times and missed all of his free throw attempts.

“I thought the trapping and understanding of the angles and how to do it, he was phenomenal,” Musselman said postgame. “Obviously his 0 for 4 from the foul line really, really, really hurt us. But he did a good job on the backboards having nine rebounds. But four turnovers from that position are a little bit too much. The turnovers and the 0 for 4 from the foul line, we’ve got to convert.”

Graham finished the night with four points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals. If it wasn’t for his short-comings at the charity stripe and his turnovers, it would have been one of the most impressive perforamnces from the senior all season.

His minutes fluctuate on a nightly basis, but when he’s given the chance, more often than not he’s going to impact the game one way or another. When he plays 10 minutes or more a game — which has only happened eight times this season — he averages 8.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. That’s higher than his season total of five points and 2.8 boards. In other words, the more Graham plays, the better for the Razorbacks.

Those numbers (10+ min played) are just about equal to the ones Graham had at as a starter for Arizona State over the past two seasons, and has been able to put those numbers up against stiffer competition in the SEC than he did averaging more minutes against Pac-12 opponents. Even more impressively, he hasn’t started a single game for Arkansas this season.

Getting him on the court is easier said than done, though. Fellow forwards Trevon Brazile and Makhi Mitchell earn more minutes on average, leaving Graham as the odd man out more often than not, and his performance against Baylor might have helped his case if it weren’t for the missed opportunities at the line and his multiple turnovers.