One Alabama Basketball Recruiting Target Could Become the Next Herb Jones

Since coming from Buffalo, Alabama head coach Nate Oats has combined his fast-paced, three-point-heavy style of play with Alabama’s resources. Oats has not only taken the Southeastern Conference by storm on the court, but also on the recruiting trail.

During Oats’ short tenure, Alabama has already landed many high-profile prospects among the likes of Joshua Primo, JD Davison, and Jaden Bradley and is in the hunt for many more.

When Alabama plays a nationally televised game, Oats’ recruiting prowess always receives a mention. The primary pitch given by commentators and analysts is how “fun” it would be to play in a system where Oats gives the green light to shoot on the majority of possessions. While this is certainly a primary factor of Oats’ recruitment, his development of offensively challenged players lacks the national attention it deserves.

Former Alabama forward and last season’s SEC Player of the Year Herbert Jones made his first NBA start last week for the New Orleans Pelicans, just three months after being drafted as the 35th overall pick in the NBA Draft.

Jones committed to Alabama in the class of 2017 ranked as the fourth-best recruit in his class, behind Collin Sexton, John Petty, and Alex Reese. During his freshman season, Jones immediately made an impact defensively, which he became known for in his time at the Capstone.

Offensively, it was a different story. He averaged 4.2 points per game on the season, shooting a mere 41 percent from the floor. Jones still flashed potential to be a star, especially in his 14-point performance against Trae Young and Oklahoma.

Following the 2017-18 season, Jones began to appear on way-too-early draft boards for the 2019 NBA Draft, with the belief being that he would make the league if he could develop offensively.

However, as a sophomore he plateaued on the offensive side. There appeared to be a minimum lack of growth as his average only rose to 6.2 points. 

Jones fell off of any and all draft boards and was no longer seen as a high-level NBA prospect by the majority of scouts. 

Enter Oats, who brought in to revitalize the team, and Jones with it.

His junior year saw some offensive growth with many double-digit scoring games over the first few months of the season. Jones was driving and finishing at the rim and showed no fear rising up for jams that pumped up the crowd.

Unfortunately for him, Jones injured his wrist in late January and even when he returned from injury, played with a cast on his shooting hand. This allowed Jones to put on a blue-collar effort that would make Oats proud, priding himself on diving for loose balls, rebounding, and taking charges despite his injury.

It helped make Jones a fan favorite in Tuscaloosa, with his popularity peaking when Jones knocked down two one-handed free throws to seal a win against No. 25 LSU.