Film Room: Rylan Griffen Adds Important Depth to Alabama Backcourt

The Texas product will have the chance to carve out a role early in his collegiate career with the Crimson Tide.

It's no secret that Nate Oats' system at Alabama is guard-oriented. 

Ever since he arrived in Tuscaloosa, the Crimson Tide basketball team has featured dynamic backcourt players in a system that continually ranks in the top-10 in the country in adjusted tempo. 

The fast pace of play has allowed explosive guards to thrive playing freely in their element with few restrictions.

One of the newest high school prospects to get the chance to thrive in that system is Rylan Griffen.

The Dallas-area product was a consensus four-star recruit out of high school and ranked as the No. 43 overall prospect in the 247Sports' composite.

The shooting guard is coming off a stellar senior season that saw him rise over 30 spots in recruiting rankings as a key piece for Richardson High School, the top public school team in the nation per ESPN.

During his final season, Griffen averaged 20.6 points per game to go along with four rebounds, three assists, and nearly two steals per contest as well. He complied those stats while playing alongside five-star Kentucky freshman Cason Wallace and was named his district's offensive MVP.

Griffen's game is built around scoring and he can do so from all three levels with relative ease. He uses his 6-foot-5 frame well to get to the basket and has elite bounce and athleticism that allows him to finish thunderous dunks above the rim.

He has a smooth jumper from both the mid-range and beyond the arc and has the ability to make shots both off the dribble and the catch.

Griffen has the tools to be a successful defender at the collegiate level, but at 180 pounds may need to add a bit more weight before he reaches that potential.  Despite his weight, however, Griffen has the length to disrupt smaller guards, quick hands to force turnovers, and the drive and motor to dig his heels in and give maximum effort when a stop is needed. 

Griffen's motor has already been put on display at Alabama, shown by his winning of the 'Hard Hat Award' on Alabama's foreign tour. Against the Spain select team Griffen posted 13 points, good enough for second on the team, and recorded the most 'blue-collar points' of anyone who played. 

With point guard Jahvon Quinerly out until at least December while recovering from a torn ACL, there are minutes available for Griffen in Alabama's backcourt. He'll have an opportunity to take on a scoring role off the bench as he gets acclimated to the college game, and his skillset fits what the Crimson Tide needs with his shooting and defensive potential.  

Below are some plays that showcase what Griffen has brought to Tuscaloosa.

This first clip shows how lethal Griffen can be from long range, which is one of the most important parts of his game in the Alabama system. 

Griffen stayed spaced at the top of the key while his teammate drove to the basket and pulled Griffen's defender away from him. After his teammate kicked the ball out to Griffen he hesitated and froze his defender before rising up and knocking down the three-pointer.

Something to note on this shot is the range, as Griffen took it from a few feet behind where even the collegiate three-point line would be. If he can consistently knock down looks from that range he will have an easy time finding his way onto the court.

The set run in the play above showed some pretty common movement that Oats likes to run. 

Off the inbounds pass, the inbounder set a screen for Griffen's man which he sharply curled off of into the open space. The defender smartly switched with his teammate, but Griffen still used his quick trigger to get the shot off with a man in his face.

Oats loves to use screen and curl sets to get his shooters open, especially on inbounds plays, and Griffen showing the poise on film to run those sets effectively bodes well for the translation of his game to Tuscaloosa.

The next two plays show Griffen's defensive potential and the effect he can have as both and on-ball and off-ball perimeter defender.

The first clip showed Griffen matched up with the primary ball handler, which Griffen has the edge on in both height and length. Because of this size mismatch, the instant the ball handler got lazy with his dribble Griffen was able to use his long arms to reach in and poke the ball away without fouling. After the deflection, Griffen used his quickness and awareness to secure the steal. 

The second clip showed Griffen's off-ball awareness as he read the pass from the point guard and once again used his long reach to cause a deflection and a steal. In addition to the defensive play, Griffen also showed off a bit of his bounce with the exclamation point dunk at the other end of the floor. 

The common theme is his reach and instincts defensively. Once he adds more weight to be able to physically match up with bulkier SEC guards, he could fulfill his elite defensive potential. 

In this final clip, Griffen goes coast-to-coast for an easy finish at the rim despite being seemingly cut off at the three-point line. Griffen's didn't have to pull off a spectacular move to get to the basket, he instead knew how to use his frame to his advantage and used longer more unorthodox steps on his approach to throw off the defense.

Griffen will have every chance to compete for minutes this year and has a great chance to earn some valuable ones if he hones the skills that can make him excel in Alabama's system. Behind Mark Sears and Nimari Burnett Alabama will need guard depth, and Griffen can provide a spark off the bench with talent that a lot of teams would love to have. 

Whether he plays significant minutes for Oats this year or not, his talent is undeniable and he will be a huge part of the Alabama basketball program for years to come. 

Alabama Basketball Player Breakdowns

Brandon Miller

Mark Sears

Jaden Bradley

Nimari Burnett

Dom Welch

Noah Clowney