The Extra Point: Evaluating Alabama Basketball's Latest Transfer Additions

After a quiet start to the offseason, Alabama added two high-scoring guards that could be critical for next season's team.

Author:
Clay Miller
Publish date:
Apr 24, 2023 4:00 PM EDT

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Alabama Crimson Tide

The Alabama basketball team averaged 81.8 points per game in the 2022-2023 season making them the 11th highest scoring team in the nation.

As of today, only 9.4 of those points are accounted for on the Crimson Tide's current roster in the forms of Rylan Griffen and Nick Pringle.

Those facts make it obvious what Nate Oats' priority was when recruiting the transfer portal this offseason: get proven scoring.

It's no secret that Oats and Alabama want to have a fast-paced, high-volume shooting offense that is able to score points in bunches. With the likes of Brandon Miller, Jahvon Quinerly, and Noah Clowney on the roster last season, it was easy for the Crimson Tide to meet that expectation.

But all of those players and a slew of others are likely done donning a Crimson Tide uniform, meaning there are a lot of holes on the roster to fill if Alabama wants to maintain the success of this past season.

That's why this weekend was a momentous one for Nate Oats and the Alabama basketball team when guards Aaron Estrada and Latrell Wrightsell Jr. announced they would be transferring to play at the Capstone.

Estrada is a 6-foot-3 guard who has played college basketball for four seasons at three different schools. He spent the last two years at Hofstra University becoming one of the nation's top scorers averaging a whopping 20.2 points per game last season. Estrada also earned CAA Player of the Year honors for the second year in a row.

The New Jersey native has a smooth left-handed stroke and is extremely shifty with his dribble. Look for him to take a lot of three-point shots in Alabama's offense while also potentially being a key ball handler.

Wrightsell Jr. is another 6-foot-3 guard who is coming to Tuscaloosa after spending his first three seasons at Cal State Fullerton. He broke out last season, averaging 16.3 points per game to go along with 4.5 rebounds.

Wrightsell shot 38 percent from three-point range last season and is another guard that will see a lot of looks from deep in Nate Oats' system. Add in Jaykwon Walton and Alabama has already been able to get a lot of shooting help from the transfer portal.

While the Crimson Tide won't be able to replace players like Brandon Miller, the additions of Estrada and Wrightsell Jr. put them on the right track to maintaining one of the nation's best offenses.