Alabama basketball needs all the help it can get against Auburn on Saturday afternoon in a massive matchup between the top two teams in the AP Poll. According to a report from Jeff Goodman early Saturday morning, the Crimson Tide is expected to get some reinforcements.
Alabama freshman Derrion Reid is expected to play today against Auburn, Nate Oats told @TheFieldOf68.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) February 15, 2025
Reid hasn’t played since Feb. 1 due to a leg injury. He’s averaging 7.2 points per game and is a potential first-round pick.
A lower leg injury has sidelined Reid the last two games and six of the last eight. He's missed seven games overall this year.
Last week, Nate Oats gave a concerning update on Reid stating that he would be out until he could go through a practice and/or game without feeling pain afterward.
Reid was a 5-star recruit for the Crimson Tide and has averaged 7.2 points and 3.4 rebounds on around 17 minutes per game. In the two games he has played since January 11th, Reid's offense has abandoned him. He's scored just two points in 24 combined minutes.
Reid's offense is still a work in progress but he is a versatile defender that could come in handy for the Crimson Tide. Reid, Mo Dioubate, and Jarin Stevenson are Alabama's most versatile defenders, able to hold up against guards and forwards.
Chad Baker-Mazara will be a difficult matchup with his length and Reid will be one of the players for the Crimson Tide most equipped to deal with him. It also gives Alabama another option to defend Auburn guard Tahaad Pettiford.
Oats likes to throw length at guards and Reid's availability will allow him to mix-and-match defenders with a little more freedom. Reid, Diobuate, and Stevenson might all see time on Pettiford throughout the game.
Reid isn't likely to play a ton. Somewhere around the 12-minute mark that he played in the two games he recently played is probably about right as he works his way back from injury.