The beginning of the season couldn't have gone worse for sophomore Alabama basketball forward Jarin Stevenson.
He drew the ire of the fanbase thanks to an 0-for-18 start to the year from three. He couldn't make shots, couldn't finish at the rim, and was basically a black hole on the offensive end of the floor. Fans were baffled at him continuing to be used in the starting lineup.
Nate Oats has a lot of confidence in Stevenson. The second-year forward from Chapel Hill, North Carolina never let his poor offensive performances impact his defense and his effort. He won back-to-back hard hats - given to the player who accumulates the most blue-collar points - in Alabama's first two SEC games: road wins over South Carolina and Texas A&M.
He was making an impact without scoring. The basketball gods tend to reward effort. In Tuesday's 103-80 win over Texas, Stevenson had the breakout performance he's been yearning for.
Stevenson led Alabama in scoring with 22 points and connected on 4-of-5 from three-point range. The 22 points is a career-high for Stevenson.
Jarin Stevenson is trending up after a rough start
Stevenson hasn't been as bad this year as most fans think. He had a brutal start to the season with the 0-of-18 start from three-point range. Following his 4-of-5 performance in Austin, Stevenson has now made 19-of-50 (38%) since.
Stevenson was one of the team's worst defensive players last season. He has grown leaps and bounds on that end of the floor this year. It was just tough to justify keeping him in the lineup with how bad he was struggling on offense.
But Oats' confidence has been rewarded. Stevenson's breakout gives Alabama an added dimension that makes them even more difficult to beat. His versatility on the defensive end of the floor allows Alabama to play him at the three with Grant Nelson and Cliff Omoruyi in the frontcourt.
Stevenson can hold up against guards and can bang with the bigs down low. Oats has deployed Stevenson on some of the best guards they've faced this season in hopes that his length can be impactful. Never was that more true than in Alabama's road win over North Carolina when Stevenson had Tar Heels star guard RJ Davis in prison.
Stevenson gives Alabama another threat from three. Teams already have to worry about Mark Sears, Aden Holloway, and Chris Youngblood. All three of those guys are proven collegiate shooters who cannot be left open. They've all shot the ball realy well in conference play.
Adding another guy who is creeping up close to 40% from three-point range in Stevenson adds an added dimension to the offense and makes the Crimson Tide that much more difficult to beat.