Each year, some highly rated high school basketball recruits inevitably won’t meet their hype. Former five-star guard Jalil Bethea faced that fate as a freshman at Miami, averaging an inefficient seven points per game as a Hurricane. Bethea, once a consensus top-10 recruit, will look to bounce back with a fresh start for Nate Oats at Alabama in 2025-26.
After a stellar high school career that established Bethea as a promising offensive prospect, he struggled to find the court early at Miami and produce consistently. The 6’5 guard averaged 7.1 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists on 48.5% true shooting in his 18.9 minutes per game as a freshman.
How can Bethea improve at Alabama?
Bethea made just 32.6% (30-92) of his 3-point attempts at Miami after thriving as a shooter throughout his pre-NCAA career. He converted an excellent 40.7% (85-209) of his triples across his final high school and EYBL season, according to Synergy. His strong shooting track record and Alabama’s excellent spacing and shot quality provide optimism for an outside shooting rebound.
jalil bethea (miami ’24 5*) dropped 40 in one of the most impressive high school scoring displays i can remember. the shotmaking versatility was stellar with easy NBA range, off movement, off dribble, vs contests, with some added driving vs pressure
uniquely dynamic scorer pic.twitter.com/QBmFqukKsl
— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) January 14, 2024
Outside of 3-point shooting, Bethea struggled to impact winning on the court as a freshman. His low efficiency reflects his inability to create and score at the basket at the moment. He made just 46.5% of his shots at the rim with a half-court frequency beneath 15%, both poor numbers for a perimeter player.
At Alabama, Bethea will likely turn some his mid-range jumpers into rim attempts. Bethea shot 33.9% (21-61), taking plenty of difficult, contested shots that lowered his efficiency. In an efficient, high-octane offense that prioritizes layups and triples, Bethea could see his overall efficiency spike in a better offensive context.
He must improve on the defensive end as well, which will come from physical and athletic improvement. A slight frame and mediocre athletic tools meant opposing offensive players could bully Bethea on the ball, and he struggled to generate turnovers (1.8% steal rate, 0.4% block rate) at Miami.
Bethea’s path to minutes won’t be easy
Though there are clear paths for Bethea to improve as a sophomore, he’ll still have to crack a strong Alabama guard rotation. Labaron Philon, Aden Holloway, Latrell Wrightsell Jr. and Houston Mallette will all compete for backcourt minutes. There’s a chance Bethea won’t find regular rotation minutes at Alabama, waiting for his chance as a bench player.
Bethea’s offensive talent presents quite a bit of upside for the Crimson Tide, reflected in his flashes at Miami and pre-NCAA sample. If Bethea can improve his physical profile, score more at the basket and add more value on defense, it’s easy to imagine his offensive spark boosting a usually high-powered Alabama offense.
Scouts once viewed Bethea as a potential lottery pick, but he’s fallen from that place. Still, Bethea’s talent hasn’t evaporated. He’ll have a chance to re-establish himself as a promising scoring prospect in a strong 2026 NBA Draft.
