Arizona basketball: Ray Smith’s impact will be felt, just not right away

The former five-star forward will likely be rusty to start the season

When Ray Smith steps onto the court on Nov. 11 as the Arizona Wildcats take on Michigan State, it’ll be the forward’s first appearance in basketball game that counts since his junior year of high school.

We all know his story: two torn ACLs — one in each knee — forcing him to miss two consecutive seasons.

The first ACL tear occurred before his senior season of high school, and the second happened in Richard Jefferson Gymnasium in October of 2015, a few weeks before he was supposed to make his debut with the Wildcats.

However, Smith has come back stronger than ever, according to his head coach, and it’s a credit to his work ethic.

“He's worked really hard. His legs are the strongest on our team,” Miller said Friday at Pac-12 media day. “I think that says a lot about how hard he's worked. That protects him. Both of his surgeries were successful, and we don't anticipate him having any problems.

“He's been full-go for about a month. Once in a while we'll have a big picture and give him the day off.”

Smith, physically, may be the most intimidating player on the team. At 6-foot-8, 220 pounds, “he’s the traditional small forward you’ve watched at Arizona for a long time,” Miller stated. “He’s a tremendous offensive rebounder, versatile in his approach.”

That versatility will be key in a conference which has so many talented players who can play multiple positions. However, Smith’s flexibility won’t be seen right away.

He’s a “work in progress” after missing so much time, according to his head coach.

Just because Smith is in good physical shape doesn’t mean he’s in basketball shape, something many Arizona fans probably understand. When you are way from the ebb and flow of the game for so long, it’ll take some time to recover and find the rhythm of your jump shot, defense, and everything else in between.

Miller understands this and is tempering his expectations for the forward.

“You’re not going to be able to judge him early on because of his past,” Miller said. “But I think he’s one of many players on our team that can really hit his stride as we get into conference play. That’s what we’re hoping.”

With Arizona stacked with wing players, it’s an opportune situation for Smith to be eased into the rotation. But come January and even more so the NCAA Tournament, the redshirt freshman should play an integral role in helping Arizona to what they hope will be their first Final Four appearance in 16 years.

As the calendar moves into 2017, the former five-star recruit will surely be working out the kinks as finds his groove and role on the team. Once he does, he’ll turn some heads.

Until then, Miller just wants Smith to be healthy and happy.

“Nobody has their fingers crossed more than us for Ray,” said Miller. “If you're around him every day, he deserves a great stretch of health. And if that's the case, he's going to be one of our most talented players.”

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