An Alabama basketball freshman came up big against LSU, and this time it wasn't Brandon Miller

Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats was trying to get a sub into the game at one point against LSU, but he didn't know which Crimson Tide player to take off the court.

Oats decided to remove guard Jahvon Quinerly in that moment, then someone stopped him from that decision. Freshman guard Rylan Griffen.

He told Oats to leave Quinerly in the game. Griffen offered to exit instead.

"He's creating offense for everybody," Griffen told Oats, per Oats' recollection postgame.

The Crimson Tide coach listened to Griffen. He took the freshman guard out and left the senior guard in the game.

Moments later, Quinerly made a play off a ball screen, passed it to Mark Sears, and Sears sunk a 3-pointer.

Good move, Coach Griffen.

“I think Rylan just cares about the team," Oats said.

That's one way unnoticeable to spectators that Griffen has made an impact for Alabama, but there are plenty of easy-to-spot ways, too.

NATE OATS:Nate Oats contract extension: What is buyout, how is new Alabama basketball arena affected?

ALABAMA BASKETBALL:Brandon Miller grew up in Tennessee wearing the script A. Now he's an Alabama basketball star as a freshman

Griffen, despite coming off the bench, tied the team-high in scoring with 14 points in No. 5 Alabama's 79-69 victory over LSU on Saturday at Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Griffen's efforts in 16 minutes of play helped lead the Crimson Tide to a second win over the Tigers this season.

Griffen shot 5-for-7 from the field and 4-for-5 from beyond the arc.

Griffen making plays for Alabama is nothing new if you watched him play this past week. He keeps stacking good performance after good performance. He was one of the lone bright spots against Oklahoma a week ago, shooting 5-for-8 from the field and 3-for-4 from beyond the arc with seven rebounds and 15 points. Griffen has kept that up the past two games, too.

Combining his stats from the Oklahoma, Vanderbilt and LSU games, Griffen has shot 15-for-24 (63%) from the field and 9-for-15 (60%) from deep. He's averaged 13.67 points per game over 20 minutes per game.

"Freshman year, I had to get used to it," Griffen said. "I’m used to it now. I can contribute a little bit more to the team. Have to settle in with shooting because I contribute that to the team. I’m getting a lot more comfortable."

That much is clear.

Griffen is not the most decorated or well-known freshman on a roster filled with first-year stars. Brandon Miller receives most of the spotlight, and rightfully so. The five-star McDonald's All-American has proven to be one of the best players in the country as he leads the SEC in scoring. Even when he didn't have as strong of a day offensively while in some foul trouble, Miller finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, one block and a steal. Then there's Noah Clowney, who had yet another stellar performance. He also had 14 points to go with three blocks. Jaden Bradley, a five-star McDonald's All-American like Miller, has also been a regular in the starting lineup.

But don't sleep on Griffen coming off the bench. If opposing teams do, he is proving he can make them pay.

Nick Kelly covers Alabama football and men's basketball for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter: @_NickKelly

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: One unseen way Rylan Griffen showed his value for Alabama basketball vs. LSU