Alabama basketball's roster construction has been paused in the last couple of weeks as Nate Oats waits on the NBA Draft decision of star freshman Amari Allen.
Allen has been going through the NBA Draft process and participated in the Combine last week in Chicago. During the Combine, a red flag popped up as Allen measured three inches shorter than he was listed at Alabama. That raised concern in NBA circles, especially for the franchises that considered him a big wing instead of a guard.
Oats has made his pitch to get Allen back to Alabama, promising more on-ball responsibilities. Regardless of Aden Holloway's ability to play or not, there's a good chance Allen is the Crimson Tide's starting point guard next season if he returns for his sophomore campaign.
Optimism continues to grow that Allen is going to exit the draft process and return to Tuscaloosa next season.
Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor updated his mock draft on Monday, along with his "consensus" big board, which is based on intel from around the league and other expert opinions. Where he has Allen would lead to the star freshman exiting the draft.
Kevin O'Connor drops Amari Allen on his board, projects him as 2nd Round pick
Allen stated at the Combine that he needed a promise from a team in the 1st Round to stay in the draft. If the consensus is that he'll slip into the 2nd Round, it's hard to see a world in which he wouldn't exit the draft and return to the Crimson Tide for his sophomore year.
O'Connor's consensus big board places Allen at No. 34 overall, a major drop from the 20-25 range that most had Allen heading into the Combine. That's also where he has Allen being selected, with the fourth pick of the 2nd Round to the Sacramento Kings.
Allen still has until next Wednesday, May 27th at 11:59 pm ET, to make his decision. He recently participated in the Pro Day for his agency, and he could be brought in by various clubs for private workouts over the next week.
Alabama fans certainly hope a decision is made quicker than Labaron Philon decided a year ago. Philon waited until about 20 minutes before the deadline to announce his return to Alabama, though his was more of a pleasant surprise after he had announced that he would be staying in the draft a couple of weeks prior.
While Oats and assistant Preston Murphy undoubtedly have a backup plan in case Allen stays in the draft, it's been clear for a while that Plan A for the Crimson Tide has always included Allen in the backcourt. That plan also includes Holloway next to him, but clarity on that situation may take a while longer.
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