Razorbacks’ freshman opts for NBA ahead of midnight withdraw deadline, forgoes collegiate eligibility
Arkansas guard Meleek Thomas announced his decision to keep his name in the NBA Draft, according to multiple reports.
His decision comes following a sensational freshman season playing alongside fellow 5-star freshman and potential lottery selection Darius Acuff.
During any normal year, Thomas would be projected as a Top 10 pick for the upcoming NBA Draft.
With so many true freshman competing against him, he’ll likely be projected late first round or slide as an early second depending on various evaluations.
Latest chatter around the league has Thomas receiving interest from the New York Knicks, with picks at No. 24 (first round), No. 32 and No. 55 (second round).
Other franchises in the mix are the Toronto Raptors (No. 19), Los Angeles Lakers (No. 25) (first round), and Dallas Mavericks (No. 30).
The interest makes sense because Thomas offers one of the cleanest guard skill sets in the class: shooting, low-risk decision-making and enough defensive activity to stay on the floor early in his career.
Scouting Report
His role with the Razorbacks developed over time as his game evolved from a pure scoring guard beyond the arc and into a player who can score at every level.
The addition of a floater before he even played a game for the Razorbacks was a key for his offensive arsenal and makes him even more valuable at the next level.
Calipari even doubled down on that story from Thomas, giving him an all-around guard who can do everything well.
Offering that bit of advice to a coachable young man gave him one of the best backcourts in the nation alongside point guard Darius Acuff.
“One thing I loved about Meleek was his willingness to be coached,” Calipari posted on X in Nov. 2024. “When I spoke with him about his game I told him he needed to add a floater.
“Then, when I watched him play in the state championship game, he hit a game winning shot and it was a floater. That showed me he wanted to be coached.”
That level of belief in his coaching helped Thomas rank in the 99th percentile in RAPM (Regular Adjusted Plus/Minus) with a score of 7.9, according to CBB Analytics. This metric takes into consideration his all-around impact on Arkansas’ point differential.
His 41.6% three-point rate ranked in the 93rd percentile, which certainly translates to the NBA along with a true field goal percentage of nearly 48% that accounts for his pure shooting efficiency.
In SEC play alone, he connected on nearly 50% of his attempts from deep.
As a ball handler, it’s rare that Thomas gives up the basketball as his turnover percentage was only 6.7% as a freshman and rated in the 96th percentile nationally.
Even his assist to turnover ratio was impressive at 2.5-to-1 which backs up his decision making in a very fast offensive system.
Thomas is a skilled defender in every right as he’s shown the ability to be a willing rebounder, a steal rate of 2.8% (80th percentile), 0.8% block rate (50th percentile) and boasted a 0.83x efficiency rating when it came to fouling while flashing for steals and blocks without fouling.
As a 6-foot-3 guard, Thomas has plenty to offer NBA franchises looking for a rookie who can offer quality three-point shooting and effective defense right away.
He shows off a smooth shooting motion and the ability to create off the bounce. While at Arkansas, Thomas has been at his best playing off the ball where he can space the floor and attack closeouts.
However, when his number was called on late in the season, Thomas delivered.
He did exactly that against Missouri (30 points) in the regular season finale, Ole Miss (29 points) in the SEC semifinals and averaged 19 points per game in the NCAA Tournament.
2025-2026 Stat Line: 16 points, four rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 steals in 31 minutes per game
Shooting Splits: .435/.416/.843
Current Average Mock: No. 21-No. 30
Thomas may not carry the same lottery buzz as some of the other freshmen in this draft class, but few guards offer a cleaner blend of shooting, decision-making and defensive activity.
For a franchise picking late in the first round, his combination of three-and-D makes him one of the safer upside options available this summer.