Heading into the first exhibition game on Thursday night against Furman, you could forgive Alabama's offense for looking a bit sluggish and out of sorts. Aden Holloway is serving a suspension that will run through the first two games of the regular season. On top of that, freshman guard Anderson Diaz is dealing with an elbow injury that will keep him out about a month.
That left Alabama without two of its three primary ball handlers, putting a lot on the shoulders of Amari Allen and sticking freshman Qayden Samuels into an unfamiliar role.
And none of that mattered.
Alabama still put up 111 points on the way to an 18-point win over Furman on Thursday night. The Crimson Tide shot 56% from the floor and knocked down 16 three-pointers on a 41% clip. They got out into transition and made some highlight-reel plays, and the halfcourt offense hummed right along.
Allen led the way with 19 points and 6 assists. Five additional Alabama players finished in double figures: Tarris Bouie (18), Samuels (17), Brandon Garrison (15), Cole Cloer (14), and London Jemison (10).
After the game, Allen made a bold claim of what he thinks about the Crimson Tide's offense:
"I think we can be the best offense in the country," Allen said, via BamaOnline's Blake Byler.
Amari Allen believes Alabama can be the best offense in the country
If Alabama can operate with that much ruthless efficiency on offense against a quality mid-major opponent without one of the best and most efficient offensive players in the country, what do you think the offense might look like when you add Holloway back into the mix?
It's downright scary.
Nate Oats has a plethora of options on that end of the floor. Allen and Holloway are special returning talents, but a lot of the newcomers were impressive.
Freshmen Samuels and Bouie both played well. Samuels looked like a polished scoring threat who uses his bulk to his advantage to get into the paint and finish through contact. Bouie is an energizer bunny who fought his tail off on both ends of the floor.
NC State transfer Cole Cloer, playing his first real action, is a lethal shooter, but he also led Alabama in defensive leverage, per Oats. He finished a game-high +24 in his 25 minutes. He's going to play a big role and could even push for a starting spot.
And yes, the defense has to get better. Oats was all over that in his postgame press conference. But it's just the first exhibition, and there's plenty of time to figure things out on that end of the floor before Alabama plays a game that matters next month.
It's why you play these exhibitions. It opens you up to being exposed by an opponent. Furman exposed a few issues Alabama has on that end of the floor that need to be tightened up. That's good. Nobody is perfect this time of the year.
But Alabama's offense looks pretty close. And when Holloway returns, well, good luck.
Add us as a preferred source on Google