FAYETTEVILLE — A historic streak for John Calipari is at the risk of reaching its conclusion in his first offseason with Arkansas basketball.
The Hall of Fame coach has gone 17 consecutive years with a first-round pick in the NBA Draft, but the Razorbacks don’t have a consensus nominee to extend that run.
Adou Thiero, Boogie Fland and Zvonimir Ivisic were all viewed as potential first-round picks before the season, but Fland and Thiero both dealt with injuries that put a pause on their NBA Draft momentum. Ivisic won’t turn pro this year, instead entering the transfer portal and becoming the first player to follow Calipari from Kentucky to Arkansas and seek a new home at the collegiate level.
The draft doesn’t take place until June 25, and there’s still plenty of time for either Thiero or Fland to boost their stock at the NBA Combine or individual workouts. Either player could also return to school, with Thiero having one year of eligibility and Fland having three.
Here are the NBA Draft projections for Thiero and Fland as of Thursday, April 3.
Arkansas basketball’s Adou Thiero
Thiero was widely viewed as a consensus first-round pick prior to hyperextending his knee against Missouri on Feb. 22. He missed eight games before returning in the the Sweet 16, but Thiero only logged five minutes in the season-ending loss to Texas Tech.
His stock has fluctuated a bit, but Thiero’s still viewed as a lock to be drafted if he does declare. ESPN has the Boston Celtics selecting the junior forward with the 28th overall pick, believing the defending NBA champions can maximize his skillset with other wings on the roster who can cover his offensive holes.
CBS Sports’ Kyle Boone also has Thiero going in the first round to the Boston Celtics at No. 28.
Therio’s stock dips a bit in the latest mock draft from Bleacher Report, going in the second round to the Toronto Raptors with the 39th pick. The website believes his NBA player comparison is former Kentucky Wildcat, Keldon Johnson.
The draft-only website Tankathon also drops Thiero into the second round, going to the Brooklyn Nets with the 36th pick. The Athletic
Arkansas basketball’s Boogie Fland
Fland missed missed 15 games with a thumb injury before returning for the NCAA Tournament. ESPN’s latest mock draft projects the San Antonio Spurs to pick Fland in the second round with the No. 38 pick.
Bleacher Report agrees with ESPN on the second-round grade, saying Fland, “wasn’t convincing enough this year to sell teams on a starting NBA point guard,” but he’s still worthy of an NBA Draft pick due to his creation and playmaking. This website has the Orlando Magic taking Fland with the 44th pick in the second round.
Boone with CBS Sports and Tankathon have maintained their early-season evaluation of Fland being a first-round pick. Boone projects the point guard to go No. 26 to the Brooklyn Nets, while Tankathon slots him at No. 30 to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor and CBS Sports’ Adam Finkelstein don’t have either player going in the first round and didn’t do a second round in their latest mock drafts.
Mock Draft Roundup
Adou Thiero
Boogie Fland
Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at jfuller@gannett.com or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.
