Nick Smith Jr. will return to Arkansas in February, per Jeff Goodman

The uncertainty around Nick Smith Jr. continues to dominate a lot of the talk around Arkansas basketball this season.

Will he play again? Will he miss the rest of the season?

We won’t truly know until we either see him in a Razorback uniform again or get a formal announcement that he’s out for the season. But that hasn’t stopped those with “sources” from speculating on the freshman guard’s status.

A little over a week ago, there were reports saying that NBA scouts and executives don’t believe Smith will play for Arkansas again this season due to his ties with Klutch Sports Group.

Now, the latest comes from Stadium’s college basketball insider, Jeff Goodman. Goodman tweeted on Sunday that he’s been told that the plan is for Smith to make a return to the Razorbacks in February.

“For those saying he isn’t coming back, I’ve been told by a source close to the situation the plan is for Smith to return in February – as long as he’s 100 percent.”

Eric Musselman announced last week that Smith would be out for all of January, so Goodman’s reported timeline fits. Smith hasn’t been around the team for the last two games because he’s been in Los Angeles seeing specialists regarding his injury.

Like most of these types of reports or rumors, it’s best to take these things with a grain of salt. As mentioned earlier, until we either see Smith in a Razorback uniform or there’s an official announcement from the program – it’s all just speculation.

Eric Musselman said Nick Smith Jr. will miss the rest of January while rehabbing his right knee in Los Angeles.

For those saying he isn’t coming back, I’ve been told by a source close to situation the plan is for Smith to return in February — as long as he’s 100 percent.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) January 8, 2023