Nick Smith Jr. the former No. 1 overall player in the Class of 2022 and Arkansas basketball guard, has returned to Arkansas practice after taking time off to nurse a lingering knee injury.

According to head coach Eric Musselman, the team is “optimistic” that Smith will be able to return to the court in the near future, with just about 4 weeks remaining until the start of postseason play.

Smith has appeared in just 5 games for the Razorbacks this season. The star guard is an NBA lottery pick whether he sees the court again at Arkansas or not, so his move to return to practice should already be a good sign for the Arkansas faithful.

Arkansas is starting to figure things out on the court, too. After losing Smith and Trevon Brazile early in the season, Musselman’s Razorbacks struggled. On Jan. 21 against Ole Miss they turned it around and have since won 4 of their last 5 outings, with a sole loss coming to Baylor in the Big 12/SEC challenge.

If Smith can return to the court and the team keeps playing like they have in recent weeks, the Razorbacks may be a tough out in March.