Auburn has lost most of its rotation from last season’s Final Four team, including freshman guard, who has declared for the NBA Draft but is still preserving his college eligibility. While his dynamic play could catch the attention of NBA scouts, head coach Bruce Pearl seems confident he’ll be back for his sophomore year as the team continues to pursue help in the front court through the transfer portal.
According to AuburnUndercover, Auburn is scheduled to host Louisville forward. The 6-foot-11 center averaged 7.1 points and 6.1 rebounds last season and would become the Tigers’ fourth front-court addition via the portal this offseason.
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With Johni Broome and Dylan Cardwell both finishing their eligibility, Bruce Pearl had to revamp Auburn’s frontcourt. So far, he’s added KeShawn Murphy from Ole Miss, Division II transfer Elyjah Freeman, and UCF’s Keyshawn Hall—who might serve as the team’s main offensive creator. Hall, at 6-foot-7, is the smallest of the group, and the lone backcourt transfer is 6-foot-5 shooting guard Kevin Overton from Texas Tech.
Pearl clearly values size, especially on the perimeter and in the backcourt—a shift likely influenced by the struggles of undersized guard JP Pegues last season after transferring from Furman. Still, Auburn lacks a true ball-handler, and James Scott, a paint-bound big man, isn’t that answer.
Scott thrives around the rim, with 86.6% of his points coming in the paint last season. He recorded an elite 75.9% effective field goal percentage—ranking in the 99th percentile—and held opponents to just 34.2% shooting at the rim when he was on the court (compared to 44.1% when he was off). He’s a strong two-way contributor but depends heavily on others to get him the ball.
That’s a common theme among Auburn’s additions. Hall is capable of creating his own shot but had only a 15% assist rate at UCF—still better than Overton’s 6.8%. In addition to Broome and Cardwell, Auburn also lost guards Miles Kelly and Denver Jones to eligibility, and yet, Pearl has not secured a true point guard while continuing to pursue more frontcourt players.
Though Pearl’s offensive system can thrive with frontcourt initiators and constant off-ball motion, the roster still needs a primary facilitator. This could mean Pearl either has great confidence in four-star freshman Kaden Magwood or is banking on Tahaad Pettiford returning after testing the NBA Draft waters.
Pettiford, despite being a score-first guard, showed significant development during his freshman year. If he returns to lead a talented frontcourt that could include Scott, Auburn has the potential to make another Final Four run. Without him, Pearl may be facing a serious gap at a critical position.
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