Bruce Pearl told reporters last Thursday that Auburn has a plan if star point guard Tahaad Pettiford remains in the NBA Draft. While some sort of backup plan is to be expected, Pearl and just about everyone else in the program would love to have the SEC All-Freshman guard back for a second season.
“If he decides to come back to Auburn, we’ll be a much better team,” Pearl said at the Jimmy Rane charity golf event last Thursday.
With the combine now over, Pettiford has had the chance to play, work out and meet with a number of NBA teams, meaning a decision could be close. The decision will have to be made by May 28 at the latest, as that is the final day for players to withdraw from the draft and maintain their college eligibility.
At the combine, Pettiford spent some time in the headlines at the beginning of the week, both for his testing numbers and performance in the first scrimmage.
He logged a 42-inch max vertical leap, the second highest at the combine, only trailing North Carolina wing Drake Powell. Pettiford’s official measurements helped his stock too, most notably standing over 6-feet barefoot and having an eight-foot standing reach.
The explosion came in the first scrimmage, though, where Pettiford scored 23 points and dished out eight assists, doing so on 8-for-16 shooting and 4-for-8 shooting from 3-point range. He led all scorers, helping guide his team to a 104-80 win.
Pettiford didn’t help himself as much in the second scrimmage, scoring 10 points on 4-for-15 shooting and 1-for-8 shooting from 3. He also finished the game with twice as many turnovers (six) as assists (three).
ESPN released a new mock draft Monday morning following the combine, projecting Pettiford to be picked 37th overall by the Detroit Pistons, keeping him in the second round.
Pearl spoke to reporters Monday afternoon following the combine and ESPN’s latest mock draft and reiterated that Pettiford should stay in the draft if he gets a first round guarantee, but he expects him back at Auburn next season if that doesn’t happen.
“He’s still in the same position he’s been in the whole time,” Pearl said at Bruce Pearl Fore the Children golf classic. “If he can get in the first round, he’s gonna go. And if he can get in the first round, he should go. If he doesn’t feel and his folks don’t feel like he is gonna be in there in the 20s somewhere, then he’ll come back.”
Given the latest mock draft, a guarantee seemingly remains unlikely, putting Auburn in a good position to retain the star point guard.
If Pettiford doesn’t return, Pearl said there are players “waiting to see what he decides” that Auburn could pursue to replace him, but didn’t give any names.
As the roster currently stands, the only other point guard is incoming freshman Kaden Magwood. Auburn signed other guards such as Kevin Overton, Elyjah Freeman, Abdul Bashir and freshman Simon Walker, but no one in that group has much experience as a true point guard.
Auburn expects to get a decision from Pettiford in a week to nine days, according to Pearl, and if he does return, Pearl said Pettiford will start and play an expanded role next season.
Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports forAL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him atprauterkus@al.com
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