Grant Nelson praised for defense, but where can he improve offensively?

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Nate Oats praised the resilience he saw from the Alabama basketball team during its 82-74 win over Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss., this past Saturday.

What was the Crimson Tide head coach most proud of from the road victory?

Grant Nelson’s interior defense on Bulldog big man Tolu Smith.

“I think defensively, he’s gotten good at guarding the post,” Oats said Monday. “He can play at the five a little bit more. He’s a good defensive player. He doesn’t foul as much as some of our other post players in the interior. I thought he fought Tolu really tough. 

“He’s certainly not soft.”

Nelson was tasked with defending Smith on Saturday night due to Nick Pringle fouling out of the game in the second half and Mohamed Wague playing limited minutes due to a nagging foot injury. Nelson played 33 minutes, was one rebound – and point – shy of a double-double and recorded three of the five blocks Alabama finished the game with in Starkville.

Pringle and Wague have both dealt with foul trouble this season, and with the latter now battling an injury, could we see Nelson play more minutes as the five moving forward?

“I think if Pringle and Wague are playing well, it’s nice to have size at the four,” Oats said. “But in order to play Grant more at the five, you’ve got to have some guys step up at the four, so it’s timely that Mo Dioubate is starting to play well. He gets to the O boards, he creates stuff, he brings some toughness. You need Mo or Jarin (Stevenson), Sam (Walters), you need those guys to just get a little bit better. 

“Sam needs to get better on defense. Jarin needs to get better on defense. Mo Dioubate gets a little more comfortable in our offense and stick to the plan on defense. He makes tough plays, but if you can get those three guys playing a little bit better, you can probably play Grant a little bit more at the five.”

Nelson had one of his better defensive outings of the year last weekend, and the North Dakota State transfer will look to improve his play on the offensive end of the floor, as well.

Nelson is the Crimson Tide’s third-leading scorer with 12.6 points per game, and after scoring in double figures in nine straight contests, Nelson has produced 18 total points his last three times out, including no points in Alabama’s home win over South Carolina. He is also averaging 26.5 percent on shots from the 3-point line, good for 10th on the team.

What does Nelson need to do to get out of his offensive funk?

“We’ve got to get him attacking the rim like he was early in the year,” Oats said. “That’s been our big point of emphasis with him. Like we don’t want him turning down open shots, but there’s times he could drive where he’s settling for threes and we need him to drive.

“ We need him to do a better job screening for his teammates to open them up, kind of using his passing ability, kind of get into some dribble handoffs and stuff. I thought he’s been good. He was good today in practice with some of the stuff we’ve been putting an emphasis on.”

Nelson and Alabama will take on Missouri on Tuesday, Jan. 16, at 6 p.m. CT (SEC Network).

Not a member, Alabama fans? Join BOL today!

Have you subscribed to BamaOnLine.com yet? You can sign up for ONE MONTH of premium access to our Alabama coverage for just $9.99! Be able to read all of BOL’s premium articles and nuggets covering Alabama sports and recruiting and also join thousands of other Crimson Tide fans around the globe on the BOL Round Table message board! CLICK HERE!