AUBURN | Watch just five minutes of K.D. Johnson on the court, and you notice an edge to the guard. He chirps, stays in the ball handler's face and s with a chip on his shoulder.

He reminds his teammate Devan Cambridge of a particular NBA star that loves to pester his opponents.

"He's got a dog mentality like Patrick Beverley to me," Cambridge said. "He brings the energy every day. He's not going to let you breathe; he's always on you."

A dog-like mentality by a former 'Dawg, eh? Johnson's decision to transfer from Georgia to Auburn helped shore up a backcourt that struggled at times last season with depth. Most likely the starter at the shooting guard, he brings versatility to the group that Bruce Pearl plans on taking advantage of, saying Johnson can play the point some if needed.

Johnson definitely won't back down from anyone. It happened to be Ira Bowman, the Auburn assistant coach, that he was beefing with at a recent practice, staring him down after every made shot. It's not cockiness. It's confidence and a fun battle between him and whoever he wants to take down that day.

As a freshman last season, Johnson averaged 13.5 points, so the offense is undoubtedly there. It's on the defensive side, though, that Cambridge makes the more significant impact for the Tigers, crediting Johnson for upping the effort of his teammates through his play.

"That brings a good energy because last year, we struggled defensively," Cambridge said. "And this team is going to be real good on the defensive side. I feel that."