Derrion Reid injury update: Alabama freshman's status revealed for rivalry game vs. Auburn

Alabama freshman Derrion Reid is expected to be available for Saturday’s blockbuster matchup against Auburn, Nate Oats tells Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman.

Reid has been dealing with a leg injury since Feb. 1, which has kept him out of action for the past two weeks. He’s averaging 7.2 points for the Crimson Tide this season.

On Friday, Oats updated the status of Reid before the matchup between the No. 1 Tigers vs. No. 2 Crimson Tide.

“We’ll see how he looks tomorrow morning,” Oats said of Reid, according to BamaOnline’s Charlie Potter. “I’m sure he’ll be a game-time decision, but he looks a lot better than he has at any point in the last month or so.”

Reid has been a steady contributor for Alabama off the bench this season. Along with his 7.2 points per game average, he logs 3.4 rebounds to go along with 16.9 minutes per game. He’s also started three games this season. Moreover, Reid has topped double-digits in scoring six times this season. Getting him back means regaining a valuable presence down low against an Auburn team that thrives in the paint.

Oats also touched on why Reid has been sidelined for such an extended period. Some believed he might return sooner than he eventually did, but the Crimson Tide went with a more precautionary route during his recovery.

“Derrion had a little bit of discomfort following the Georgia game,” Oats said last Friday, according to Potter. “We had him out, brought him back, continued to increase his basketball workload. But, since we anticipate him having a long and successful basketball career well after he’s done playing in college, we didn’t want to jeopardize any of his long-term health. 

“We’re trying to make decisions that benefit him both in the short term and long term, and we don’t want to try to use anybody just to win games. … He’ll be game-to-game moving forward until he’s able to go through a full practice and not experience any type of significant discomfort.”

No. 2 Alabama (21-3, 10-1 SEC) will host No. 1 Auburn (22-2, 10-1) at 4 pm ET, Saturday, from Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa. It’s the 11th meeting between Oats and longtime Tigers coach Bruce Pearl, with Oats and the Crimson Tide holding a 6-5 advantage in the Iron Bowl of basketball rivalry series over the past five seasons.

On3’s Alex Byington contributed to this report.