Alabama basketball landed its first Transfer Portal commitment on Monday with Bucknell transfer and Patriot League Player of the Year Noah Williamson committing to the Crimson Tide during his visit to Tuscaloosa.
Williamson is a legit 7-footer and averaged over 17 points and 7 rebounds per game this past season. Alabama had a need for a big with Grant Nelson and Cliff Omoruyi exhausting their eligibility, leaving Aiden Sherrell as the only true big left on the roster.
Williamson is an interesting addition for Nate Oats' team. He's a different kind of big than Oats has normally recruited here. He's not a rim-running, athletic defender like Charles Bediako or Cliff Omoruyi.
He's not a finesse-type big like Jordan Bruner, either. Williamson is a bruiser, capable of playing inside-out. He's got a strong back-to-the-basket game and can get buckets when you throw him the ball in the post. He can also space the floor, shooting 31.8% from three-point range as a junior on about 2.5 attempts per game.
Williamson doesn't signal a fundamental change in offensive philosophy for the Crimson Tide, but it could signal that Oats wants a safety net on the interior. When shots aren't falling or the dribble-drives are cut off, Williamson can give Alabama someone they can throw the ball into and get to work inside to try and get points.
Perhaps the most intriguing thing about Williamson is the ability to pair him with Sherrell. His addition does not signal that Sherrell - assuming he returns - will be reduced to a bench role. There's a chance Oats chooses to start both bigs, going with a twin-towers approach that Auburn had a ton of success with this season with Johni Broome and Dylan Cardwell.
The difference would be that both Williamson and Sherrell can stretch the floor and shoot the ball while simultaneously clogging the paint entirely and protecting the rim on defense.
Williamson had a respectable 4.5% block rate and graded out as a good defender despite Bucknell grading out poorly on that end overall.
It's clear with Alabama's Transfer Portal targets so far that Oats is putting a major emphasis on defensive improvement for next season. It's that end of the court that kept the Crimson Tide separated from the four best teams in the country this season. Alabama's offense was more than good enough - the Duke loss in the Elite Eight notwithstanding - but Alabama finished 26th in adjusted defensive efficiency per KenPom. The four teams still standing all ranked inside the Top 10.
Williamson is the first domino to fall for the Crimson Tide's portal haul. There will be others soon.