Alabama basketball just suffered a big blow to their roster.

Transfer guard from Miami, Jalil Bethea had injured his foot in practice and it required surgery, head coach Nate Oats announced.

Luckily for both Bethea and the Crimson Tide, it doesn’t seem like the injury is one that will keep Bethea out for the season, despite there being no timetable for his recovery.

Coming into college, Bethea was a five-star recruit and the seventh-ranked player in the nation that Alabama aggressively courted, but ultimately, Bethea opted to go play for Jim Larranaga in Miami.

However, Larranaga retired and it led to Bethea entering the transfer portal – which is when Oats pounced.

It was a tough freshman season for Bethea. He got decent playing time, but he only averaged 7.1 points per game and shot a brutal 37% from the field.

The positive to take out of his below average statline in his freshman year, is that it takes longer for certain players to develop. Isaac Trotter, 247Sports’ College Basketball Analyst thinks that it’s only a matter of time until Bethea’s game starts to shine.

“The 6-foot-5 guard was revered for his shot-making prowess on the recruiting trail, but that did not coalesce in Coral Gables. There's obviously still upside here, though. He has real size and deep range. It's only a matter of time until it pops.”

You can’t help but agree with Trotter’s assessment if you’ve seen Bethea’s tape.

He has a bouncy feel to his game, constantly on his toes, and ready to pull the trigger on a jumpshot. He’ll be the perfect fit into an Oats-coached team, as he already implores his team to take as many 3-pointers as possible, and run the floor with pace.

Initially before the injury, Bethea was going to be lined up with Labaron Philon and Aden Holloway, two of the Crimson Tide’s most dynamic guards.

Alabama will also have one final year of both Latrell Wrightsell and Houston Mallette, coming off medical redshirt seasons.

The lack of a timetable for a return though is a concern. However, considering that this is a foot injury, a best guess on a return would be three-to-four months from now, which means we could see him debut for the Tide in January or February before conference tournaments begin.

It’s a bit of a bump in the road for the sophomore, but the talent is so obvious, that the payoff could be worth the momentary struggle.

If he can use this time to watch the game play from afar and develop his shot as he rehabs, the sky is the limit for both the player and the program.