Through the first dozen games of the season, Arkansas basketball point guard Boogie Fland has announced himself as one of the premier “diaper dandies” in college hoops.
The freshman phenom’s playmaking abilities were on full display in Saturday’s victory over North Carolina A&T, as Fland finished with a double-double of 12 points and 11 assists. He also took great care of the ball, only committing two turnovers. Although his scoring was a bit below his season average of 15.3 points per game, his poise as a primary ball-handler was on full display, as he orchestrated the offense in the decisive win.
Fland is averaging 6.2 assists per game, which ranks 18th nationally and 2nd in the SEC, behind only No. 1 Tennessee’s senior floor general Zakai Ziegler.
While Arkansas fans have been well-acquainted with Fland’s talent from the jump, his breakout game on the national stage came a couple weeks ago in Madison Square Garden – basketball’s Mecca that the legendary Michael Jordan believes is the sport’s true home.
“Yeah, I love it,” Jordan once said. “Because of the history — everybody knows about basketball in New York City, and this is where you see the best basketball players. That’s what Madison Square Garden’s always meant to me. And they’re very loyal to their fans, yet they’re very honorable about good basketball. Every time I put up a big game in New York, it pays tribute to the respect they pay me. Some people don’t want to see me come there. But…tough sh*t.”
Tough sh*t for Michigan, indeed. Fland, a native of the Bronx, put on a show in his homecoming game, dropping 20 points, dishing out 7 assists, grabbing two steals, and going a perfect 6-6 from the charity stripe.
In Arkansas’ two biggest non-conference wins against the Wolverines and Miami, Fland has arguably been the best player on the floor. The stars on the other side of the court, Michigan’s Danny Wolf and Miami’s Nijel Pack, are in their 3rd and 5th years of college basketball, respectively. Fland, meanwhile, turned 18 years old less than six months ago.
How Boogie Stacks Up Against Past Calipari Guards
Boogie already looks like he has the chops to be the latest in the long line of John Calipari-coached point guards to excel at the next level. Through a dozen games, Fland is averaging 15.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game shooting 43.3% from the field, 37.3% from three and 84.8% from the charity stripe.
Here’s how he lines up against some of the past great guards under the legendary coach that Jon Rothstein calls “The Last Corleone”:
(Points, rebounds, assists per game thru first 11 games of freshman season)
Derrick Rose, Memphis, 2007-08: (15.5, 4.7, 4.4)
John Wall, Kentucky, 2009-10: (17.8, 4.0, 7.0)
Tyrese Maxey, Kentucky, 2019-20: (13.1, 4.1, 3.2)
De’Aaron Fox, Kentucky, 2016-17: (15.9, 5.3, 7.2)
Tyreke Evans, Memphis, 2008-09: (15.3, 5.8, 4.0)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, 2017-18: (9.6, 3.4, 4.2
Brandon Knight, 2010-2011: (17.5, 3.5, 3.5)
If Fland keeps up his current pace, he will finish his freshman season right in line with the great lead guards from past Calipari teams. It might be a stretch to say Boogie will be able to continue this tear against the best of the best in the SEC – a league that is expected to send as many as 13 teams to the Big Dance. But if he does, his draft stock will continue to climb. He’s already in the lottery range in many projections.
How Boogie Fland’s Game Translates to the NBA
To steal a line from Liam Neeson, Fland has a “very particular set of skills” that will allow him to thrive in the Association. His 37.3% clip from behind the arc and efficient free throw percentage will certainly translate to being a solid shooter at the next level, but it’s his ball handling and passing abilities that will be the most tantalizing for scouts. He’s also been solid as an on-ball defender, averaging 1.8 steals per game – a rare quality for five-star point guards.
That playmaking ability was on full display against the Wolverines on national television. He exploded past defenders with his quick first step, caved in the defense, and swung the rock to open shooters. That style of distribution is needed by the primary ball handler of every NBA team. Most offenses are prioritizing spacing, with four or five guys on the perimeter. Most offenses are initiated by beating a defender 1v1 and finding the open man as the defense rotates to stop the driving player.
Fland has already demonstrated a strong grasp of the pick and roll. He allows the screener to set his feet, and rubs off the shoulder of the big man while pushing the ball to space – freeing himself for a shot and forcing another defender to commit to him. If the defender plays drop coverage, he has shown on multiple occasions the ability to step into a three point shot off the dribble. This is only possible because he has the ball on a string, reminiscent of Kyrie Irving, who ESPN’s Seth Greenberg compared him to on a recent broadcast.
Boogie Fland’s Floor and Ceiling as an NBA Prospect
So what is Fland’s floor as a player? There’s always the possibility his NBA career taking a turn for the worse and veering into Brandon Knight territory. Knight was a one-and-done phenom on a Kentucky team with six future NBA players, but his professional career never lived up to expectations, and he was never able to become the All-Star caliber player that his potential suggested. Knight was traded a number of times, consistently found himself on bad NBA teams, and suffered a torn ACL at one point – all factors that led to an underwhelming career.
Both Knight and Fland are twitchy and athletic 6-foot-3 guards who scored at an elite clip at the collegiate level. But Fland doesn’t share the same Achilles heel of Knight, which was his overreliance on pure scoring to impact the game.
Fland brings much more to the table in terms of creating for others and defensive awareness, which shows up in the steals and assist numbers over Knight. At his time at Kentucky, Knight averaged more turnovers than assists (3.8 and 3.5 per game, respectively). In the pros, Knight was often seen as having tunnel vision with the ball in his hands. Fland’s assist to turnover ratio is 6.2 to 2.0, an impressive rate for a freshman and a big reason Coach Cal trusts him as a lead guard.
So what is his ceiling as a player? Past Calipari guards that have become All-NBA level pros have been elite athletes who use their explosiveness to slash to the rack and finish or dish out to teammates. Think of Rose, Wall and Fox in this category. Fland is unique in the fact that he’s much more of a silky player, lacking the athleticism of those other standouts but making up for it with expert ball handling and elite shooting.
With that in mind, the best comparison for a Calipari guard might be Tyrese Maxey, a 24-year-old NBA All-Star averaging 25.1 points and 5.0 assists per game this season. Maxey played for Kentucky as a one-and-done freshman in 2019-20. He recently brought home a tremendous payday, signing a five year, $204 million max contract extension.
If you extrapolate the numbers along with his skillset and feel for the game, there is a real possibility of Boogie being mentioned in the same sentence as guys like Joe Johnson, Sidney Moncrief, and Bobby Portis as some of the greatest former Razorbacks at the professional level. Arkansas hasn’t had an NBA All-Star since Johnson held that honor a decade ago. If Fland lives up to that potential, he might be next in line – though Anthony Black might beat him to the punch there.
Speculation aside…enjoy every second of No. 2 in Razorback red. He won’t be around for long, and players as special as him do not come around often.
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Philip Stiehl graduated from the University of Arkansas, and is one of the many Arkansas alumni to reside in Dallas. He often returns to the Natural State to watch Arkansas football and basketball games and duck hunt with his girlfriend’s family near DeWitt. His favorite Razorback will always be Michael Qualls.
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Some more Boogie Fland highlights for your viewing pleasure:
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