Roster finalized
AUBURN | It’s been a busy offseason for Auburn basketball with three additions from the transfer portal to offset the loss of three players to the portal and two more to graduation.
The Tigers are also bringing in two signees from the 2024 class.
Below is a detailed look at all the offseason moves along with how Auburn could line up this season.
WHO’S IN (5)
In what could be one of the most impactful transfers of the Bruce Pearl era, JP Pegues appears to be a perfect fit at point guard. He averaged 18.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game as a junior at Furman. Pegues shot .420 from the floor and .362 from 3-point range.
Pegues should be able to run AU’s half-court offense efficiently, running off screens, driving, distributing the ball to some talented bigs and hitting 3-pointers.
Miles Kelly is another important addition in the backcourt with his long-range shooting ability. He made 37.9 percent of his 3-pointers as a sophomore and 32.1 percent as a junior. He also averaged 13.9 points and 5.9 rebounds for Georgia Tech last season.
Ja’Heim Hudson isn’t the typical stretch-4 that has thrived in Pearl’s system, but he’s a physical post player that rebounds well and scores inside the paint. He averaged 7.6 points and 5.6 rebounds coming off the bench for SMU last season.
Tahaad Pettiford, one of AU’s two incoming freshmen, averaged 19.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.5 steals per game as a senior at Hudson Catholic. He’s expected to play mostly shooting guard this season.
Jahki Howard is a high-flying wing that averaged 15.1 points and 5.4 rebounds for Overtime Elite. He also won a prestigious national dunk competition.
WHO’S OUT (5)
Both forward Jaylin Williams and guard Lior Berman finished out their eligibility last season. Williams finished his career with 113 wins, the most by a player in program history.
Auburn lost three guards in the transfer portal with shooting guard K.D. Johnson going to George Mason, point guard Tre Donaldson to Michigan and combo guard Aden Holloway to Alabama.
Johnson averaged 7.1 points, shooting .378 from the floor and .271 from 3-point range, Donaldson 6.7 points, 3.2 assists, shooting .471 from the floor and .412 from 3-point range, and Holloway 7.3 points and 2.7 assists, shooting .318 from the floor and .302 from 3-point range.
WHO’S BACK (7)
The 2024-25 team will be led by first-team All-SEC center Johni Broome, who led AU in points (16.5), rebounds (8.5) and blocks (2.2), and shot .548 from the floor and .354 from 3-point range.
Broome has 60 career double-doubles.
Backup center Dylan Cardwell is also back after averaging 5.3 points and 3.7 rebounds last season.
Also back is starting shooting guard Denver Jones, who was second on the team with 51 made 3-pointers and shot .418 from beyond the arc, starting wing Chad Baker-Mazara, who scored in double-figures in 10 of AU’s final 13 SEC games, and backup power forward Chaney Johnson, who averaged 7.4 points and 3.3 rebounds, and shot .558 from the floor over AU’s final nine games.
Fifth-year senior and key team leader Chris Moore returns. He averaged 4.7 points over AU’s final six games. Addarin Scott is also back as a backup forward of center.
HOW THEY’LL LINE UP
Point guard: Pegues will be the starter and should be one of the team leaders in minutes played. His ability to be a playmaker will be a key to the offense. Both Jones and Pettiford will provide the backup minutes at point.
Shooting guard: Jones, Kelly and Pettiford will compete for the starting position with Jones the favorite as the returning starter. Both Jones and Kelly could slide to the wing.
Wing forward: Baker-Mazara will be the starter with Howard getting an opportunity to win the backup spot. Moore can earn minutes at both the 3 and 4.
Power forward: It will be a big offseason for Johnson, who AU is counting on to step in for Williams as the starter. Hudson was brought in to compete with Johnson while Broome, Baker-Mazara, Moore and Scott are also options at the 4.
Center: Broome is the starter with Cardwell as the top backup. Scott is available when needed.
Overall, Pearl has put together a versatile and deep roster for 2024-25. AU is especially deep 2-5 with the need to develop reliable minutes at the backup point guard position.