It wasn't long ago that Alabama didn't have much of an NBA presence. From 2008 to 2018, there was a 10-year gap between Tide draft picks. From 2001 to 2018, there was a 17-year gap between first round picks into the NBA out of Alabama.
Avery Johnson and Collin Sexton changed that.
Then Nate Oats took it to a whole new level.
Oats gets the bulk of the credit for increasing Alabama's NBA profile, as he should, but it cannot be overstated how important Sexton's recruitment was. A 5-star guard who became a genuine college superstar and one-and-done talent coming to Alabama to play basketball wasn't normal. Johnson, and Antoine Pettway, deserve a ton of credit for that.
Sexton lit the match that ignited the Crimson Tide's NBA flame. Since then, Alabama has had four more first-round picks in the NBA Draft, and will have a fifth in a couple of weeks once Labaron Philon hears his name called.
Those first-round picks don't include a pair of second-rounders - Herb Jones and JD Davison - who have carved out roles, nor does it include an undrafted free agent in Keon Ellis, who has done the same.
Alabama has a legit footprint in the league now.
The website Maize and Brew, an SB Nation fan site for the Michigan Wolverines, took a stab at ranking the 29 college programs that have enough current - or soon-to-be in two weeks - NBA players to make up a starting five. Alabama came in at No. 10.
Alabama can go toe-to-toe with most colleges in the NBA now
A Top 10 ranking is nothing to sneeze at, especially considering just eight years ago Alabama had little-to-no NBA footprint. Here's how Alabama's starting five would line up, according to Maize and Brew:
Collin Sexton
Labaron Philon
Brandon Miller
Herb Jones
Noah Clowney
That's a pretty stout group, with a dynamic backcourt with Sexton and Philon, along with one of the best young wings in the NBA in Miller, who could be in line for a monster contract extension this summer.
Despite being stuck with the dead-end Pelicans, Herb Jones remains one of the best defensive players in the league. Jones made the All-Defensive 1st Team two years ago.
The one spot Alabama does not have much to offer is in the frontcourt, and this would be a smaller lineup with Clowney at the five. The other rotational options for the Tide right now would include Keon Ellis, JD Davison, and Chris Youngblood.
While this starting five couldn't stack up to the likes of Duke or Kentucky, its Top 10 standing is a testament to the recruiting and development that Oats has brought with him to Tuscaloosa. And you can't forget to tip your hat toward Johnson, Pettway, and Sexton for getting the ball rolling.
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