Auburn is undergoing a major roster overhaul after losing most of its rotation from last year’s Final Four squad. That includes freshman guard Tahaad Pettiford, who declared for the NBA Draft while preserving his college eligibility. Pettiford’s flashy game could easily catch the eyes of NBA scouts, but head coach Bruce Pearl seems confident he’ll be back for a sophomore year as he searches for another frontcourt addition in the transfer portal.
According to AuburnUndercover, Auburn is scheduled to host Louisville transfer James Scott. The 6-foot-11 big man averaged 7.1 points and 6.1 rebounds last season and would be the fourth frontcourt player Pearl has landed from the portal this offseason.
Justin Hokanson of @AuburnLiveOn3 confirmed Scott’s visit, noting that he’s one of several names Auburn fans should watch closely.
With the departures of Johni Broome and Dylan Cardwell, both of whom used up their eligibility, Pearl has been aggressive in bolstering the frontcourt. He’s already added KeShawn Murphy (Mississippi), Division II standout Elyjah Freeman, and 6-foot-7 Keyshawn Hall from UCF, who may be the team’s primary scoring option. Pearl’s only backcourt transfer so far is 6-foot-5 shooting guard Kevin Overton from Texas Tech.
Pearl is clearly emphasizing size this offseason, especially after JP Pegues struggled last year following his transfer from Furman as an undersized guard. Despite the influx of bigs, Auburn still lacks a true ball-handler — a role Scott certainly doesn’t fill.
Scott thrives around the basket, with 86.6% of his points coming in the paint last season. He also posted an elite 75.9% effective field goal percentage (99th percentile) and limited opposing players to just 34.2% shooting in the paint when he was on the court, compared to 44.1% when he wasn’t.
He’ll provide Auburn with interior scoring and rim protection, but he relies heavily on others to create offense for him. That’s true of most of Pearl’s new additions. Hall can generate his own shot but had just a 15% assist rate at UCF — still more than Overton’s 6.8%.
Along with Broome and Cardwell, guards Miles Kelly and Denver Jones have also moved on. Pearl hasn’t brought in a true point guard and continues to prioritize size. While Auburn’s motion-heavy offense can work through frontcourt playmakers, Pearl will need someone to run the show. That either means he’s placing full trust in four-star freshman Kaden Magwood or expecting Pettiford to return.
Though more of a scorer than a distributor, Pettiford showed significant development during his freshman year. If he withdraws from the draft and joins a stacked frontcourt featuring players like Scott, Auburn could be a Final Four contender again. If not, Pearl may face a challenging season ahead.