How Alabama fared against 2025 NBA Draft first-round picks

Alabama basketball didn’t have a player selected during the first round of the NBA Draft, but the Crimson Tide still heard plenty of familiar names come off the board.

Alabama played 14 of the 30 players selected during Wednesday night’s first round, including nine of the top 10 picks. The Tide went a combined 8-3 in those matchups while allowing mixed results against the top-end talent it faced.

Here’s a look back at how this year’s first-round picks fared against Alabama.

Selection: No. 1 overall (Dallas Mavericks)

Season stats: 19.2 ppg, 7.5 rpg., 4.2 apg., 48.1 FG %, 38.5 3-pt %

Against Alabama: (85-65 W), 16 points, 6 of 16 from the floor, 1 of 2 from 3, nine rebounds, three assists, one block, four turnovers

Alabama held Flagg to just 16 points over 36 minutes, his second-lowest total among games where he spent 30 or more minutes on the floor. However, he occupied enough attention to allow fellow top-10 picks Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach to combine for 35 points. Flagg also played solid defense, including a block while the Blue Devils were pulling away late in the first half.

Selection: No. 2 overall (San Antonio Spurs)

Season stats: 19.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg., 4.0 apg., 48.4 FG %, 33.3 3-pt %

Against Alabama: (95-90 L), 37 points, 11 of 19 from the floor, 0 of 3 from 3, two rebounds, two assists, two steals, four turnovers

Harper lit up Alabama during the Tide’s win over Rutgers in the Players Era Festival. His 37 points were a season-high, and that’s despite Alabama holding him to 0-for-3 from beyond the arc. Harper was able to live at the free-throw line against the Tide, knocking down 15 of 16 attempts. Following the game, Alabama head coach Nate Oats said he couldn’t find a formula to stop the 6-foot-6 freshman.

“I mean he pretty much gets to the rim whenever he wants,” he said. “We didn’t have anybody that could stay in front of him on ball screens. We didn’t do a very good job. I mean he’s got some force, some physicality, some strength coming down the hill.”

Selection: No. 4 overall (Charlotte Hornets)

Season stats: 14.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg., 2.7 apg., 47.9 FG %, 40.6 3-pt %

Against Alabama: (85-65 W), 21 points, 6 of 15 from the floor, 2 of 4 from 3, five rebounds, five assists, three steals, two turnovers

With Alabama’s attention on Flagg, Knueppel stole the show, scoring a game-high 21 points while playing stellar defense. He had three of Duke’s six steals on the night and played a role in limiting the Tide to just 8 of 32 from beyond the arc.

While Knueppel was just 2 of 4 from beyond the arc, one of those 3s gave Duke its first 10-point lead of the night with 9:34 remaining in the first half.

Selection: No. 5 overall (Utah Jazz)

Season stats: 17.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg., 1.3 apg., 46.0 FG %, 34.6 3-pt %

Against Alabama: (95-90 L), 22 points, 9 of 18 from the floor, 1 of 3 from 3, four rebounds, one assist, one block, two steals, no turnovers

Alabama also struggled against Rutgers’ other star freshman guard, as Bailey put up 22 points over 36 minutes. The 6-foot-10 wing tormented the Tide with high-arching jump shots while dominating in the midrange.

“He’s the best midrange shot-maker I’ve seen,” Oats said following the game. “He just kind of rises up over guys. The floaters with the touch, he’s tough. We didn’t do a great job. We needed more size on him. He’s a guy that if you don’t have size on him, he’s just shooting over 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 guards and he’s going to cause some problems.”

Selection: No. 6 overall (Washington Wizards)

Season stats: 19.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg., 2.7 apg., 42.7 FG %, 39.7 3-pt %

Against Alabama: (103-80 L), 24 points, 9 of 17 from the floor, 4 of 8 from 3, three rebounds, four assists, three turnovers

While Alabama’s defense was able to shut down Texas during its 103-80 win in Austin, the Tide didn’t have much success stopping Johnson. The star freshman scored 10 of the Longhorns’ first 13 points and finished with a game-high 24 points over 37 minutes. Alabama was able to force Johnson into three turnovers as part of nine takeaways on the night.

Selection: No. 7 overall (New Orleans Pelicans)

Season stats: 17.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg., 4.1 apg., 43.4 FG %, 28.2 3-pt %

Against Alabama: (107-79 L), 16 points, 5 of 15 from the floor, 1 of 5 from 3, five rebounds, three assists, one block, two steals, three turnovers.

Fears didn’t get his first point of the game against Alabama until the 11:34 minute mark after starting the contest 0-for-5 from the floor. His 16-point performance came while the game was already decided, as the Tide cruised to a blowout win over the Sooners to open SEC play.

Selection: No. 8 overall (Brooklyn Nets)

Season stats: 10.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg., 5.5 apg., 41.2 FG %, 27.3 3-pt %

Against Alabama: (113-88 L), 15 points, 6 of 14 from the floor, 1 of 8 from 3, two rebounds, seven assists, two steals, one turnover.

In a game where Alabama sank 25 of its 51 shots from behind the arc, the Tide was able to Demin to a dismal 1 of 8 from deep. The star freshman’s cold shooting performance contributed to BYU making just 6 of 30 shots from 3. Demin doled out a game-high seven assists, but he didn’t play up to his top-10 talent against the Tide.

Selection: No. 9 overall (Toronto Raptors)

Season stats: 16.8 ppg, 8.3 rpg., 2.4 apg., 58.6 FG %, 26.5 3-pt %

Against Alabama: (88-68 L), 6 points, 1 of 6 from the floor, 0 of 1 from 3, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals, two turnovers

Alabama did a stellar job at keeping the ball away from Murray-Boyles, limiting the 6-foot-7, 245-pound big man to just 1 of 6 shooting. Meanwhile, the Tide outscored the Gamecocks 48-32 in the paint. Murray-Boyles was able to pull down a game-high eight rebounds but didn’t dominate down low in his typical fashion.

Selection: No. 10 overall (Houston Rockets — traded to Phoenix Suns)

Season stats: 8.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg., 0.5 apg., 71.2 FG %, 25.0 3-pt %

Against Alabama: (85-65 W), 14 points, 6 of 7 from the floor, nine rebounds, one assist, two blocks, one steal, four turnovers

Maluach made the most of his 9-foot-8 standing reach, providing a constant headache for Alabama in the paint. The 7-foot-2 center blocked a pair of shots and altered several more on the night. He also slammed home five dunks while going 6 of 7 from the floor on the other side of the ball.

Selection: No. 18 overall (Washington Wizards — traded to Utah Jazz)

Season stats: 18.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg., 4.2 apg., 44.8 FG %, 38.6 3-pt %

Against Alabama: (104-82 W), 22 points, 7 of 16 from the floor, 6 of 11 from 3, three rebounds, six assists, three steals, no turnovers

(99-94 W), 22 points, 8 of 20 from the floor, 2 of 8 from 3, five rebounds, eight assists, one block, one turnover.

Clayton helped Florida deal Alabama a pair of losses, scoring 22 points in both outings. The veteran guard also combined for 14 assists in the two meetings. Clayton sank six 3s in Florida’s SEC Tournament win over Alabama, including four in the first half to help the Gators shake off a slow start.

Selection: No. 20 overall (Miami Heat)

Season stats: 15.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg., 4.7 apg., 44.0 FG %, 31.8 3-pt %

Against Alabama: (100-97 L), 15 points, 6 of 13 from the floor, 1 of 4 from 3, four rebounds, six assists, two steals, six turnovers

Jakučionis put in a solid game against Alabama during the Tide’s win in Birmingham last November. The Lithuania native knocked down the first basket of the game, draining a 3 from the elbow off of a screen. However, Alabama was able to contain him from beyond the arc moving forward. Jakučionis showed off his athleticism and distributing ability on drives to the lane, creating offense regardless of who the Tide put on him.

Selection: No. 21 overall (Utah Jazz — traded to Washington Wizards)

Season stats: 12.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg., 2.2 apg., 43.2 FG %, 32.6 3-pt %

Against Alabama: (100-97 L), 18 points, 6 of 12 from the floor, 3 of 4 from 3, nine rebounds, four assists, one steal, no turnovers

Oats targeted Riley in the recruiting process, and the 6-foot-8 freshman showed the head coach what he missed out on during the Tide’s win in Birmingham.

Riley airmailed a couple of shots early in the game, but ended up shooting 50% from the floor while knocking down 3 of 4 shots from beyond the arc. He could have provided more help on the defensive end, as Illinois allowed Grant Nelson to record 23 points on 9 of 15 shooting, including 4 of 9 from deep.

Selection: No. 22 overall (Atlanta Hawks — traded to Brooklyn Nets)

Season stats: 7.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg., 1.1 apg., 48.3 FG %, 37.9 3-pt %

Against Alabama: (94-79 L), 6 points, 3 of 5 from the floor, 0 of 1 from 3, three rebounds, two assists, two steals, no turnovers

Alabama handled Powell pretty well during its 94-79 drubbing of North Carolina inside Dean E. Smith Center in December. The 6-foot-6 freshman wasn’t a big offensive threat and didn’t do much to stop the Tide from shooting 49.3% from the floor on the other end.

Selection: No. 23 (New Orleans Pelicans — traded to Atlanta Hawks)

Season stats: 15.4 ppg, 6.9 rpg., 0.9 apg., 54.3 FG %, 29.2 3-pt %

Against Alabama: (90-69 L), 16 points, 6 of 15 from the floor, 0 of 4 from 3, seven rebounds, five steals, two turnovers

For the most part, Newell came as advertised during Alabama’s win over Georgia. The 6-foot-11 freshman battled with Nelson, going back and forth down the court. Newell came away with a team-high 16 points and seven rebounds, but he missed all four of his shots from beyond the arc. He also allowed Nelson to record 16 points and 10 rebounds on 5 of 9 shooting.