Who is the Biggest Sleeper on Alabama's 2026-27 Basketball Roster? Just a Minute

A look at a Crimson Tide returner and freshman who could exceed expectations this season.

Alabama forward Keitenn Bristow goes to the rim in the second half of the exhibition game against Auburn on Oct. 22, 2026. | Sarah Munzenmaier/Alabama Crimson Tide on SI

Welcome to BamaCentral’s "Just a Minute," a video series featuring Alabama Crimson Tide on SI's beat writers. Multiple times per week, the writers will group up or film solo to provide their take on a topic concerning the Crimson Tide or the landscape of college sports.

Watch the above video as BamaCentral basketball and football writer Hunter De Siver discusses a pair of sleepers on Alabama's basketball roster.

Homecoming

Alabama basketball has a plethora of players striving to dominate this season, but not all of them are getting the spotlight.

Some of these players are being slept on as potential key contributors to the 2026-27 roster. Here are two to keep an eye on as the regular season looms.

Anderson Diaz

The freshman guard reclassified from the 2027 class, but this month hasn't been his friend. Diaz sustained an elbow injury before the Crimson Tide's preseason opener against Furman, and head coach Nate Oats said at the time that he'd be out for about a month.

This forced him to miss the other two exhibition wins over Ole Miss and Auburn, but given Oats said that on Oct. 8, a month later would mean Diaz could be available for the Oakland game on Nov. 9 — the third contest of the regular season.

Oats has made it clear that the forwards and bigs are the major emphasis this season, and the fact that Diaz is one of just three players under 6-foot-6 reflects that. In other words, true guard depth is lacking just a bit, as he'll likely take the ball up when coming off the bench. His nickname is "Shifty," meaning some ankle breakers are also in the forecast.

"I would describe my game as a shifty, downhill guard who can get anywhere on the floor that he wants," Diaz said in a recent interview with Alabama. "As a player comp, I would say Kyrie Irving, just by the way I get in the paint, finish and create for my teammates."

Keitenn Bristow

BamaCentral asked Alabama forward Brandon Garrison to name a sleeper on the roster at SEC Tipoff '27 in Birmingham on Oct. 13, and Bristow was his choice.

"He's a hard worker," Garrison said. "He does all of the work that doesn't get rewarded, but it's going to show this year. He's been taking big steps, so I'm going to take my guy Keitenn."

Bristow, who only played in 10 games in 2025-26 before a season-ending injury, played a big role in the Auburn scrimmage, logging nine points and a team-high eight rebounds. Bristow also won the Hard Hat that night after collecting the most blue-collar points.

As previously stated, there's a lot of depth at forward, but Bristow has the tools to carve a role out for himself. He came back to Tuscaloosa for a reason, and Oats really liked what he saw from the junior against the Tigers.

"Keitenn's back playing hard, it was great," Oats said after the scrimmage. "I thought he's back doing stuff we need him to do. Had four blocks, rebounded the ball really well. He was able to switch on defense. He played almost 30 minutes tonight, so great to have him back. He's about the right stuff. You can kind of play him at some three, four, some lineups."

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok for the latest news.