SEC Basketball: Impact of Nimari Burnett and Allen Flanigan’s serious injuries

SEC Basketball is shaping up to be arguably the best conference for hoops in the 2021-22 season. However, key injuries to both Nimari Burnett and Allen Flanigan could have a major impact on both Alabama and Auburn respectively.

Alabama loses Nimari Burnett potentially for season

One of two incoming transfers to the roster, Nimari Burnett is a former five-star prospect that came from Texas Tech after just 12 games played last season. The fit didn’t work but the 6’5 guard still has great potential as a two-way player and the hope was that he would have an impact on the rotation as Joshua Primo’s replacement on the wing.

This is unfortunate news for the Crimson Tide, who already lost forward James Rosas for the season earlier this offseason. It limits the depth they currently have, as both Juwan Gary and Alex Tchikou were coming off season-ending injuries a year ago and they can’t be fully counted on as contributors until we see what they do on the court.

This makes the turnaround decision of leading scorer Jaden Shackelford coming back all the more important. The 6’4 guard can very well slide over to the wing position to start and have Jahvon Quinerly and five-star point guard prospect JD Davison as the lead guards. Otherwise, 6’6 guard Keon Ellis can be put into the lineup and have an even larger role than expected and allow one of the two point guards to come off the bench.

There are long-term consequences of this injury, as Alabama won’t know how Burnett fits in their system, which they’ll have to take into account when targeting top-tier small forward prospects and future transfers. If the team is able to land a couple of guards, Burnett may end up in the same situation as he was at Texas Tech. But on the court, this won’t be a detrimental blow for the team, as there’s plenty of offense leftover.

Auburn’s second-leading scorer Allen Flanigan on the sidelines

We’ve talked so much about the 50 transfer guards the Tigers brought in this offseason, along with UNC big man and former five-star prospect Walker Kessler coming on board as well. And yet, despite all the newcomers, Auburn does bring back a talented wing in Allen Flanigan, who averaged 14.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg, and 2.9 apg last season.

Flanigan started all 27 games last season and had six games of at least 24 points while shooting 34% from three-point range. The 6’6 wing has real NBA potential and there was a chance that he would depart. Instead, he elected to come back for his junior campaign.

The one piece of optimism for Auburn Basketball is that it’s not a season-ending injury, although it may impact Flanigan all year. Lower-leg injuries can be devastating for players, particularly those that are more perimeter-oriented. The timeline would have him back around the beginning of December, although the start of SEC Basketball play in January is more likely.

Until then, the Tigers are going to be playing a ton of three-guard lineups. The good news is that they have a great option in 6’6 guard Devan Cambridge, who averaged 8.9 ppg but did struggle shooting from the field. He started 19 games last season so he’ll be fine as the interim wing, although there now is pressure on the three incoming transfer guards (KD Johnson, Zep Jasper, and Wendell Green) to play big minutes in the two guard positions in the meantime.

Johnson was a double-digit scorer at Georgia but both Jasper and Green are mid-major transfers and playing at the SEC Basketball level is something different. Flanigan’s 30 mpg will have to be divided up by the guards and get through the Battle 4 Atlantis and other non-conference matchups by the time he gets back.

These are important players but both Alabama and Auburn have enough talent to remain top-25 caliber teams for the upcoming season. But SEC Basketball has as many as 10 teams capable of making the 2021 NCAA Tournament. So they’ll need some players to step up and produce, or else these injuries will really haunt these programs.