Alabama’s Depth is Scary Good
We knew Alabama was going to be a good team this season, but anytime you have the 13th-ranked player from his recruiting class coming off of the bench, you probably have a solid starting lineup, and an even better bench.
Alabama scored 93 points on Tuesday night, and of those 93 points, 41 of them came from their bench. That being said, Alabama’s starters were incredible as they combined for 52 points, but if you’re getting 41 points from your bench, with three players scoring in double-figures, who aren’t starting, you are hardly ever going to lose that game.
The two players you’re going to see get a lot of time, whether it be off the bench, or sometimes starting, is freshman guard JD Davison, and sophomore forward Juwan Gary. Davison got 26 minutes off the bench, going for 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists, with a steal to go with it as well, while Gary went for 12 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals, and an assist in 21 minutes.
In addition to these two, Darius Miles got significant minutes off the bench, and was very impressive, as he was 4-for-4 from the field, and 3-for-3 from beyond the three-point line, going for 11 points, three rebounds, and a steal in 16 minutes of playing time. Miles turned a lot of heads Tuesday night after hardly getting any playing time last season for Alabama, and if he can keep up that level of productivity, he will surely be a force for Alabama going forward.
The last player who got a decent amount of playing time for the Tide was Keon Ambrose-Hylton. Ambrose-Hylton is another player who didn’t see the court much for Alabama last year, but he saw seven minutes of playing time Tuesday, as he went for 2 points, a rebound, and two assists. Ambrose-Hylton could provide some rest for the Tide’s bigs, and that’s exactly what he was used for on Tuesday.
Overall, Alabama is a very good team, and a large reason for that is their stacked bench.