TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The buzzer sounded and Braxton Key jogged onto the court for what has become a familiar role. Less than a minute and a half into Wednesday night’s game against Auburn the Alabama forward checked in for starter Daniel Giddens.
By that time the Crimson Tide was already trailing 8-0 and on its way to an embarrassing 90-71 loss to the Tigers. Damning as the defeat was, it didn’t reflect Key’s performance on the night. Despite coming off the bench the sophomore logged 26 minutes finishing with 11 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Key ended the night 4 of 5 from the floor and was the only Alabama player to play 10 or more minutes and finish without a negative number in the plus-minus column. In fact, his entrance into the game spurred some life into the Crimson Tide. He hit a 3 and came away with two rebounds in a roughly eight-minute stretch that saw Alabama trim the deficit to 19-14.
That type of spark has been a common occurrence in recent games.
“He’s been working his butt off, to be honest with you,” Alabama forward Donta Hall said of Key. “On the glass, running the ball. He’s been getting the ball up and down the court quick. Like I said rebounding especially, that’s been a big key for him. Me and him had a talk about it, and actually, he went [up] three or four rebounds from what he was getting at the beginning of the season.”
Key was Alabama’s best player last season averaging a team-high 12 points to go with 5.7 rebounds. Those stats led to him testing the NBA-Draft waters and had many projecting a breakout year this season. However, a meniscus injury kept him out of the first 10 games resulting in a slow and frustrating start to his sophomore year.
Key currently ranks fifth on the team averaging seven points to go with 5.3 rebounds per game. However, those numbers have been on the rise as he has scored in double digits in four of his last six games.
The common denominator is where Key has started each game: on the bench.
After returning from his injury, Key started in his first 12 games before being moved to the bench for Alabama’s 68-50 win over Florida on Feb. 3. From there he has averaged 10 points and 5.67 rebounds, a stark improvement from the 5.5 points and 5.17 rebounds he averaged as a starter.
“If Coach feels like I need to come off the bench and that helps the team the best then I’ll do that the rest of the season,” Key told reporters after Alabama’s win over LSU on Feb. 13. “It doesn’t make a difference to me. As long as we’re winning and we make the tournament, I’m happy.”
Despite moving to the bench, Key hasn’t seen his playing time diminish. He’s actually averaging 26.67 minutes per game in his new role, up from the 24.91 minutes per game he recorded as a starter. In fact, in all six games Key has come off the bench he’s logged more minutes than Giddens who replaced him in the starting lineup.
So why doesn’t Alabama just start the game with Key? The answer comes in his versatility. The 6-foot-9 forward has the ability to play at shooting guard or either of the two forward positions, allowing Alabama head coach Avery Johnson the flexibility to plug him in wherever depending on the situation.
“Here’s a guy that has experience. We weren’t getting consistent bench production,” Johnson said. “He settled into that role. Sometimes we bring him in early, sometimes we bring him in a little bit later depending on what’s going on in the game. …Braxton Key’s success playing multiple positions, passing the ball, getting charges, rebounding the ball, it takes us to another level."
Johnson said the switch initially took some time for Key to get used to. However, the sophomore forward has grown to embrace his newfound role and make the most of his time on the court whenever it may come.
“It’s just his mentality, go out there and do what you have to do and work,” Hall said.
Alabama (17-11, 8-7 in the SEC) will need another super-sub effort from Key on Saturday as it hosts Arkansas (19-9, 8-7) at 5 p.m. CT on SEC Network. The two sides are among six teams tied for third in the SEC with three games remaining in the regular season.
