Nate Oats on JD Davison's Recent Growth: "He's gotten more comfortable playing more aggressive"

Davison totaled 29 points between Alabama basketball's last two games at Ole Miss and against Arkansas.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Last Saturday against Arkansas, Alabama basketball's freshman players were a key factor in the team's successful 68-67 victory over the Razorbacks. At the center of the Crimson Tide's victory was guard JD Davison, whose 11 points led all players in an Alabama jersey.

In the prior game on Wednesday at Ole Miss, Davison finished the game with 18 points — good for second-most for the Crimson Tide — as well as three rebounds, eight assists, a block and a steal. Between the games against the Rebels and the Razorbacks, Davison's efforts earned him the title of SEC Freshman Player of the Week.

While Davison had a relatively slow start to the season, he's notably improved in recent weeks. Alabama coach Nate Oats stated on Monday that he believes Davison's improvements stem from an increased amount of effort on defense.

"The biggest area of growth I think is he's gotten more comfortable playing more aggressive on offense as he's played harder on D," Oats said. "I think when you just play harder, fly around, don't overthink your offense too much — you just play really hard on defense and let the offense flow and be aggressive on offense. That's when he's his best, so I think he's been playing a lot harder. He's getting some rebounds, some blocks and steals. He's getting better on the defensive end and I think his offense is just becoming more comfortable as he gets more aggressive, the more he gets himself into the game on the defensive end."

"I'm not sure if there's one particular game where it feels like the light just went on, but I think he was gradually getting better and he's definitely playing a lot better now than he was a month ago, for sure."

Aggressiveness was an attribute that Davison displayed in droves in high school, but was absent in his first few months at Alabama. However, he has recently begun to drive the ball into the paint more often — whether that results in a layup or a pass to the perimeter — and that aggressiveness has resulted in more confidence.

Davison echoed Oats' sentiments regarding how his improvement hasn't stemmed from a particular moment, but instead has been a work in progress over the course of the season.

"I don't think it was a game or a turning point," Davison said. "I think it was just the hard work that I've put in off the court, in practices and I think I've just grown as being a better player and a great teammate for my team and I think it just helps us in getting wins."

So far this season, Davison has averaged 8.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game played. In his 25 games that he's seen action on the hardwood, he has recorded the second-most assists on the team with 102 and has made 19 steals and 11 blocks.

Junior guard Jaden Shackelford believes that Davison has become a leader on the team and is a bright spot that will continue to shine as he develops.

"He's become a great teammate for everybody in that locker room," Shackelford said. "He cares about winning, and I feel like that's just something that I've seen him grow in. He's become a leader now. Obviously he has a bunch of tools to his game that have improved. He's a great player, great scorer, great passer — there's many things you can say about him — but I just feel like he's becoming a leader as a freshman and he cares about winning now, so I feel like that's huge for him and huge for us going forward."

This week, Alabama basketball will face Mississippi State on Wednesday night in Coleman Coliseum (6 p.m. CT, ESPN2) before hitting the road to take on No. 4 Kentucky on Saturday (11 a.m. CT, CBS).

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