Just A Minute: What's Alabama Basketball Missing the Most? The Guy Who Wore No. 1

Crimson Tide hasn't been the same this season without one player in particular: Herb Jones.

Alabama beat Gonzaga on road.

It lost to Georgia.

It topped Tennessee and LSU.

It lost three straight, by a total of 12 points.

The Crimson Tide dropped just two SEC games last season. It's already notched four this year.

This wasn't what everyone expected, although in fairness Alabama has played a brutal schedule this season, and the SEC appears to be tougher than ever. 

Yet, the Crimson Tide is struggling in January. It stay has time to turn things around, but with No. 4 Baylor, No. 1 Auburn and No. 12 Kentucky looming on the schedule, and there's a big-time sense of urgency. 

You hear the words being used to describe what's wrong with Alabama and they include inconsistency, maturity and chemistry.

They're all accurate. But in trying to pin down what this team is lacking the most and it boils down to especially one thing.

Look at the players that Alabama lost from last season: Josh Primo, Jordan Bruner and Alex Reese, who combined to hit 99 three-pointers, and then John Petty Jr., who hit 77 by himself.

Alabama is currently shooting 30.92 percent from beyond the arc, which ranks 296 out of 350 teams. Just having one of those guys back on the Crimson Tide could make a huge difference.

Yet, the player Nate Oats and the Crimson Tide are missing the most is Herb Jones.

This is a player who totaled 947 points, 630 rebounds, 285 assists, 167 steals and 98 blocks during his Alabama career.

Last season he had a team-leading 17 Hard Hat Awards, which is given to the player with the most Blue Collar Points at the end of each game. He led the team in Blue Collar Points (667), deflections (110), floor dives (23), and-ones (7-of-10) and dunks (19). 

During his two seasons under head coach Nate Oats, he collected 33 “Hard Hat” awards. 

He held the school record holder in charges taken for both single-season (23 in 2018) and career (77).

Jones was a consensus SEC Player of the Year and SEC Defensive Player of the Year by the SEC Coaches, AP and USA Today, and named as a finalist for the Naismith Award Men’s Defensive Player of the Year.

Alabama had a lot of good players last season, but Jones was the glue, and he led by example.  

And now the NBA is finding out just how good of a player Jones is. 

This Crimson Tide team is better than it looks. It still has a chance to have a great season. 

When you hear people talk about leadership and how it translates to the floor or field, you might never see a better example of just how important it is. 

Herb Jones

Alabama Athletics

Alabama Athletics

T.G. Paschal/BamaCentral

NBA