The point of playing exhibition games is so you can get a look at your team and work out the kinks before the start of the regular season. That's also the point of playing a difficult non-conference schedule. Nate Oats wants his team to get exposed early against good teams, so by the time SEC play rolls around, the Crimson Tide knows exactly who they are.
Two exhibitions won't tell Oats everything he wants to know about this team, but it gives an early indication of flaws that they can work out. Alabama took a big step on the defensive end for the floor against Furman, knocking off the Paladins 96-71 on the road on Sunday.
But there were still flaws that were evident. Flaws that may be a result of roster construction, and things Oats and the coaching staff are going to have to work around.
“Defensive rebounding is gonna be an issue," Oats said after the game. "We gotta get the turnovers figured out. We shouldn’t be turning the ball over 15 times a game. We do have some offensive firepower and some shooting. We’re better off when we can get out in transition, which we knew that’s how we’re trying to play. But we need to pressure the ball a little bit harder to maybe force some teams out of their comfort zone, force some turnovers, because we’ve got to do a better job on the defensive glass. So, we’re gonna have to try to cover ourselves in any which way possible, and we’re gonna have to get a little bit better there.”
Early flaws are evident for Alabama basketball
Alabama's defense was impressive against Furman. They held the Paladins to 35% from the floor and just 0.92 points per possession. It would have been an even more impressive performance if the Crimson Tide could've done a better job clearing the defensive glass.
Alabama won the battle on the glass overall, but still surrendered 19 offensive rebounds to Furman, allowing far too many second-chance opportunities. Between the second-chance points and points off turnovers, Furman got 27 points.
Turnovers are always an issue, especially early in the season, for an Oats-coached team. Alabama's pace of play is going to lead to turnovers. You just have to live with that.
Alabama's biggest early flaw is likely to be rim protection and rebounding defensively. Noah Williamson and Aiden Sherrell are good bigs, but they're both more of stretch-five types. That will clear the paint for Labaron Philon and Aden Holloway to attack the rim, but they also aren't going to block a ton of shots defensively.
You've already seen Alabama fundamentally change what they're doing defensively from what they've done in previous years. There's been a lot less drop coverage off screens; instead, Alabama is blitzing and putting pressure on ball-handlers.
Oats' preference has been drop, funneling everything to shot blockers like Cliff Omoruyi or Charles Bediako. Williamson and Sherrell aren't those guys, so the Tide's defense is going to take more risks.
It worked against Furman, and would have worked better if Alabama could have cleared rebounds and not allowed so many points in transitions off turnovers.
But that's what these exhibitions are for. Oats has a better read on his team after two exhibition games than he did from countless scrimmages in the preseason.