The NBA Draft deadline has passed and there's some great news for the 'Bama Hoops'

Late last night, the deadline for players to declare their eligibility for the NBA Draft passed. The Tide had already lost Aaron Estrada to graduation, and Mark Sears enrolled on an interim basis while retaining his eligibility.

But “Bama was looking around the league and waiting to hear back about two other players,” including Grant Nelson, who did much of the Tide's dirty work last season. The second player was the athletic Jalyn Stevenson.

At times, it looked like Nelson wasn't fully accepting of returning for the season, or at least returning to Tuscaloosa. Unfortunately, it's a business decision at this point. But he doesn't plan on continuing that in the NBA. Grant Nelson did not declare last night.

And Alabama received some great news when Jalin Stevenson didn't declare either. Of the two, Stevenson seemed most likely to turn pro or earn a pro grade. His athletic improvement is virtually limitless, and the NBA is more willing to give opportunities to raw talent, especially young players, than polished skills.

But this is probably the best decision for both players, even though they have garnered national attention with some hot tournament games.

For Grant Nelson, he needs to put together a year of consistency, work on getting his shooting stroke back, and especially show more physicality from game to game. He spent much of 2024 finding ways to compete against bigger, more athletic players in the SEC than he's used to playing at the Summit.

And in Stevenson's case, he needs a little more time to really develop. He was a freshman who reclassified last year, and entering next year as a true sophomore will make him the same age as the freshmen in the NSD class of 2025. In other words, 2024 was a year spent on training wheels, so to speak. He and Grant could be ready to really break out in 2025, and Stephenson has a chance to become a Clowney 2.0-type NBA prospect.

That doesn't necessarily mean Alabama is in the clear yet. There are still four days left in the transfer portal, but both players are still on the roster as of this writing. But if one or both can make it to the capstone, they could lead what could be the best roster in Alabama basketball history.

It's a big part of what could be a great weekend for Alabama. Yesterday, 5-star PG Lavaron Fillon was the OV, and today Rutgers C's Clifford Omoruyi will be the host. Both positions are needed, and Omoruyi's is almost existential.

Wishing you the best, Roll Tide