The Auburn Tigers ended the 2024-25 season with a loss to the eventual National Champions, the Florida Gators. Following the end of the season, the Tigers lost 10 players from their team including all of their starting rotation.
Among those who could potentially be leaving the Plains is the Tigers’ sixth man from this past season, Tahaad Pettiford. Despite only being a freshman, Pettiford is testing the NBA draft waters and seeing where he sits after a very successful season with Auburn.
Pettiford ended 2024 averaging 22.9 minutes a game, 11.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and three assists across 38 games. Mind you Pettiford only ever made one start during those 38 games and he was the third leading scorer on the team behind Johni Broome, the second-best player in all of college basketball and guard Chad Baker-Mazara.
Assuming that Pettiford does return, he would be the automatic choice for Bruce Pearl’s starting point guard next season, especially since he did so well starting off the bench. According to CBS, if Pettiford returns next season and is able to put up better stats than this past year, he could be looking at an All-American season.
It could also be enough to get him further into the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft which is what Pettiford wants. Players who go in the first round of the NBA Draft are guaranteed contracts with the NBA teams that draft them. That is not always the case with the prospects that are drafted in the second round.
The latest Pettiford can make his decision is May 28. Any later, he would be locked into the NBA Draft on June 25 at 7 p.m. CDT.
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