Things could be better for Alabama basketball at the moment, but the Crimson Tide can take solace in knowing it has one of the SEC’s top freshmen.

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Jaden Shackelford leads all SEC freshmen with 76 made 3s and ranks second among the conference’s freshmen averaging 14.9 points per game. The lefty from Hesperia, Calif., is also third among SEC freshmen shooting 36 percent from beyond the arc.

Over his past five games, Shackelford is averaging 22.6 points while shooting 40.4 percent from 3. Earlier this month, he was named the USBWA National Freshman of the Week. Here’s a handful of reasons behind his recent rise in production.

Shackelford was recruited for his 3-point range but struggled earlier this season, shooting just 25.8 percent (17 of 66) from beyond the arc in his first 10 games with the Crimson Tide. However, the shooting guard began to find his stroke in late December when he knocked down a combined 10 3s in back-to-back wins over Belmont and Richmond.

Shackelford has been pretty solid since then but has kicked things into another gear lately. In his last five games, he is shooting 40.4 percent from deep, including a career-high night against Auburn where he knocked down seven 3s.

Since that game, Shackelford had seen his 3-point percentage rise from 34.4 percent to 36 percent. He said the success from the Auburn game helped spur some extra confidence which has led to his recent hot streak.

“The environment was crazy, big game. I knew how much it meant to both teams,” Shackelford said. “To go out there and play well was big for me, but give credit to my teammates for trusting me.”

Shackelford’s improved confidence has led to more attempts from beyond the arc. While he was a bit more reluctant from deep during Alabama’s recent two-game road trip in the state of Mississippi, the sharpshooter attempted a combined 45 threes over three consecutive games against Auburn, LSU and Texas A&M, reaching double-digit attempts on each occasion. Before that, Shackelford had attempted 10 or more 3s in just four of his previous 23 games.

“I just feel like I’ve gotten way more comfortable with each and every game,” Shackelford said. “The trust factor once again, it makes me work harder, try new things it feels good.”

Shackelford smiled when asked whether or not he had a favorite spot to shoot from on the court, stating while he doesn’t have a preference, people have already come to that conclusion for him.

“Everybody tells me when they come up to me, ‘You got that 3 from the corner,” Shackelford said. “So I guess I shoot well from the corner, but I don’t really have a favorite spot.”

Alabama’s roster is chock-full of shooters as the Crimson Tide has already broken the school’s single-season record for made 3s with 309 through 28 games. However, at times the team has become over-reliant on the deep ball.

Last week, head coach Nate Oats said he wanted to see more aggression from his players, urging them to do a better job at driving to the basket. Shackelford seems to have taken heed to message, registering a team-high five layups/dunks against Mississippi State on Tuesday.

“We work on what we call vitamins after every practice. You know, skill work, getting to the rim, finishing at the rim,” Shackelford said. “I feel like implementing that into my game has been big.”

While Shackelford’s best quality is his ability to score the basketball, the freshman has demonstrated a growth in other aspects of his game recently. Over his last five games, he has recorded a combined 25 rebounds with 11 of them coming on the offensive end. That included a team-high five offensive boards during Alabama’s most recent game against Mississippi State.

“He did really good at Mississippi Sate,” Oats said. “I thought he’s made some really tough effort plays. He’s trying to make more of those winning plays, tough plays, and we need him to.”

Alabama saw junior guard John Petty Jr. suffer sprained elbow Tuesday which will cause the junior to miss the Crimson Tide’s game against South Carolina on Saturday. With Petty out, Alabama might run more sets with Kira Lewis Jr. (6-foot-3), James “Beetle” Bolden (6-foot) and Shackelford (6-foot-3) all on the court together. In that scenario, Shackelford would be relied on to play the 3 position, making his ability to rebound the ball even more essential.

One of Alabama’s biggest struggles this season has been turnovers. The Crimson Tide ranks No. 311 in the nation, giving up the ball an average of 15 times per game.

However, Shackelford has not been a part of that problem as of late. The freshman has just four turnovers in his past four games and has not turned over the ball in either of his last two outings. Shackelford’s last turnover came with 8:22 left in the first half of the game against Texas A&M on Feb. 19. He has gone more than 86 minutes on the floor without giving up the ball since then.

“Big focus,” Shackelford said. “Coach always stresses that whether we’re in film or just to me personally. Turning the ball over doesn’t really help our offense, messes us up on defense, so not turning the ball over is big. I learned a lot from Kira (Lewis Jr.). He doesn’t turn the ball over too much.”

Added Oats: “Shack’s been playing his best basketball here recently, which is what you want. You want your guys playing their best basketball come the end of February, March.

“I think he’s made great improvements. We’ve been on him about defense, effort, that type of stuff. He’s really answered the bell. He wants to be coached, wants to get better. And then the turnovers, I think he’s gotten a lot smarter with that. Offensively his game’s been playing at a really high level that way.”

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