After not having a player selected in the 2024 NBA Draft, the Arkansas Razorbacks had a five-year streak with at least one draft selection come to an end.
With new head coach John Calipari leading the program, that will likely change next year. The Hall of Fame now has 44 all-time NBA Draft selections, trailing only former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who had 46 in his career.
Looking at the 2024-25 roster that Calipari has assembled, the Razorbacks have as many as 11 scholarship players — two of which were listed in ESPN’s recent 2025 NBA mock draftalthough that number will likely increase once the season begins.
While Calipari signed three highly touted freshmen, five-star Boogie Fland and four-star Billy Richmond and Karter Knox, the new Head Hog also brought in some of the best transfers in the country. Three of those transfers came from Kentucky’s Calipari, and two of them — forwards Adou Thiero and Zvonimir Ivisic — were projected as second-round selections in next year’s draft by ESPN.
Thiero started 19 games and appeared in 25 as a sophomore last season for the Wildcats. He averaged 7.2 points and 5.0 rebounds, while also leading the team’s regulars with 1.08 blocks per game.
ESPN also rated Thiero as a “return prospect to watch” in the draft, crediting his athleticism, energy and shot-blocking ability at 6-foot-2, 220 pounds. He was ridiculed for going 32nd overall with the second pick in the second round.
“Having recently turned 20, Thiero will likely have a greater opportunity to showcase his upside after following head coach John Calipari to Arkansas,” ESPN’s Jeremy Woo wrote. “He was often undisciplined on the floor and had a long way to go before he could be trusted in high-level minutes, but Thiero’s leaping ability and tendency to make things happen defensively give him an intriguing foundation if he learns. to read the game better and develop as a perimeter shooter.
“There is a wide range of developmental outcomes here, and NBA teams will be interested to see how their role might change in a new situation, even under the same head coach.”
Projected nine picks after Thiero at No. 41 was 7-foot-2 big man Zvonimir “Big Z” Ivisic, who missed the first 16 games of his freshman season at Kentucky last year before retiring. become eligible on January 20th. 15 games and averaging 5.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.
Ivisic scored in double figures four times, including a 12-point performance with nine rebounds and two blocks against Arkansas on March 2. A native of Vodice, Croatia, Ivisic had five games with five-plus rebounds and also knocked down six threes, including three in his collegiate debut against Georgia on Jan. 20.
ESPN’s mock draft omitted a handful of Razorbacks who will have their names on many other draft boards. Fland and Knox are projected first-round selections in NBADraft.Net, who mocked Fland as the 9th overall pick in the first round. This outlet also has Ivisic, Kentucky transfer guard DJ Wagner and forward Trevon Brazile projected as second-round picks.
Other names that could become draft selections include some of the Hogs’ top transfers like Florida Atlantic guard Johnell Davis and Tennessee big man Jonas Aidoo, though both are older at 23 and 21, respectively. .
