Nimari Burnett's Early Return Adds to an Already-Deep Alabama Roster

According to Oats, he was surprised as anyone that Burnett was available to play.

"I didn’t anticipate him being able to play, but he practiced Thursday and he looked decent," Oats said after the game. "We took the X-ray, sent him in to the surgeon, got feedback. I think we made a decision — I think he practiced again Friday to see how he would feel and then we did the shootaround just to make sure everything was still good — and made a decision that he could play.

"I didn’t anticipate him being great after being out as long as he did, but I wanted to get him some minutes. We got him a little bit. He wasn’t supposed to be back for at least another week, so, to me, any minutes we can get him right now — he’s gonna play hard. He’s gonna be great on defense."

Burnett missed the entire 2021-22 season with a knee injury that he suffered in the preseason. This season, though, Burnett started the Crimson Tide's first nine games and averaged 7.9 points and 2.3 rebounds per contest prior to his injury at Houston.

In Burnett's absence, Alabama has gotten meaningful minutes from freshman guard Jaden Bradley. While the Crimson Tide certainly didn't suffer in the slightest with Bradley in his place — Alabama has only lost one game since Burnett's departure — the return of Burnett adds depth to a roster that already might be the deepest in college basketball.

While Oats might not have been aware that Burnett was going to be available for Saturday's game, he did say that his return came at an opportune time.

"This was a decent game to get him going," Oats said. "We got out in transition a little bit. But I anticipate him getting back pretty quick. [...] He’s a hard-playing kid that’s gonna be great for us on defense. He makes open shots. He’s gonna be another guy where if [Mark] Sears or Brandon [Miller] are struggling, he can make open shots, kind of like Rylan [Griffen] did for us tonight.”

Burnett didn't show up on the stat sheet, but he has plenty of opportunities this season to get back into the swing of things. In addition to his leadership and other intangibles, Burnett brings a presence on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court. Regardless of whether he or Bradley starts in the two-spot for the Crimson Tide, there's no doubt that his shot-making abilities and tenacious defensive effort can help Alabama climb even higher than it already has.

And it's only a matter of time before highlights like these start to make their return alongside him.

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