Alabama basketball will be without freshman guard Anderson Diaz for approximately a month as he recovers from a left elbow injury, coach Nate Oats confirmed Thursday, Oct. 8.
Diaz was among the Crimson Tide players unavailable for Alabama‘s 111-93 exhibition victory over Furman at Coleman Coliseum, leaving Oats with limited options in the backcourt.
The freshman was spotted during pregame shootaround with his left arm tucked inside his sweatshirt, an apparent indication of the injury that kept him off the floor.
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Oats initially described Diaz’s injury as an “upper body” issue before clarifying after the exhibition that the guard was dealing with an injury to his left elbow.
The injury will not require surgery, according to Oats. Instead, Diaz, who reclassified from the 2027 recruiting class to join Alabama early, will undergo rehabilitation as he works toward returning to the floor, with an estimated recovery timeline of approximately four weeks.
That timetable puts his availability for the beginning of Alabama’s 2026-27 regular season in question. The Crimson Tide opens its regular-season schedule against Sam Houston on Nov. 3, less than four weeks after Thursday’s exhibition. Alabama then faces Arkansas State on Nov. 6 and Oakland on Nov. 9.
Diaz’s absence further complicates Alabama’s early-season backcourt rotation, particularly with senior guard Aden Holloway serving a five-game suspension stemming from his March marijuana arrest.
With both guards unavailable against Furman, Oats turned to sophomore forward Amari Allen and freshman Qayden Samuels to help handle point guard responsibilities.
“A little disappointing too for him with Holloway being suspended those five games, would’ve been a great chance to get Anderson a lot of minutes, play him at point with Amari, but sometimes, that’s how life goes and you’ve just got to deal with a little adversity.”
Oats is optimistic about Diaz’ “attitude” and looks forward to what he’ll bring Alabama defensively, as well as in the paint, noting that Alabama has the “best medical team in the country” and will get him back as quickly as possible “without risking long term injury.”
Alabama will next face Ole Miss in an exhibition on Oct. 15 in Birmingham.
Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for The Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama basketball’s Anderson Diaz injured: What Nate Oats said, return timeline
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