Alabama's first commitment via the Transfer Portal in the offseason was thought to perhaps be its biggest: 7-foot Bucknell Transfer Noah Williamson, fresh off winning Patriot League Player of the Year, where he averaged 18 points and 8 rebounds per game. Williamson committed to Alabama at the end of March, and was thought by most to be an early coup by Nate Oats and the coaching staff.
Through five games, Williamson has been nothing short of an outright bust. He's barely even in the rotation at this point, and has averaged just one point and 1.6 rebounds per game in just 8.2 minutes per game.
After playing at least nine minues in Alabama's first three games, Williamson hasn't played more than five in the last two games since Keitenn Bristow made his debut.
It was always going to be a difficult transition for Williamson to adjust to the SEC and, more importantly, Alabama's tempo. Bucknell didn't play slow, but the Crimson Tide frequently plays with one of the highest tempos in the country.
Whereas Bucknell ran the majority of their offense through Williamson in the high post, he's being asked to set screens, rebound, and protect the rim when he's out there. His screen-setting his a positive; it's something Oats has complimented him on several times, and it's why he could still carve out a role on this team.
But everything else has been a disaster through five games. He's not rebounding. He's not defending well. He's not showing any of the touch around the rim that allowed him to average nearly 18 points per game a season ago.
For a team that has gotten beaten up on the interior in its two losses, including last night against Gonzaga, Alabama needs more from Williamson than it is getting.
Oats and company have not missed on many evaluations in the portal. But this one looks like a significant miss so far. Williamson always seemed like an odd fit in Tuscaloosa; his slow feet were obvious on tape, and while he has clearly worked hard to get in shape to play in this system, the transition has been a difficult one.
All hope is not yet lost for Noah Williamson to contribute
I'm not quite ready to completely write off Williamson yet. That puts me in the minority in the Alabama fanbase. Despite limited minutes, he's drawn a lot of vitriol from Tide fans in the first five games. They certainly had higher expectations for Williamson than what we've seen on the court. And rightfully so. This is a guy who was a conference player of the year a season ago. So far at Alabama, he doesn't look like a guy who has any business in this league.
But all hope is not lost yet. Alabama's brutal schedule so far this season has made the transition for Williamson even more difficult than it was going to be. They've also played some ridiculously good frontcourts against St. John's, Purdue, Illinois, and Gonzaga.
The schedule isn't easy from here, but there will be opportunities for Oats to let Williamson work out the kinks on the court. He's got to play through it, and Oats needs to see if he's going to be a guy that can be relied upon later in the season, or if he's going to be purely a depth option who comes in when the other bigs are in foul trouble.
After playing four teams in a row that rank inside the KenPom Top 20, Alabama only has one such team currently left on the non-conference schedule (Arizona), with the caveat that they could play another one on Wednesday or Thursday in the Players Era Festival in a matchup to be determined.
There will be opportunities for Williamson to potentially carve out whatever role he's going to have on this team.