Thoughts from the drive home: Auburn boosts confidence against FAU

Auburn handled FAU 102-70 in a Friday night exhibition game in Neville Arena.

I take everything that happens in an exhibition game with a grain of salt, but Auburn showed that it has a high enough floor to be on the winning side of a few blowouts this season. The Tigers’ guards also showed enough flashes to instill some hope in the backcourt getting back to where it once was and giving this team a high ceiling come March.

Auburn will still be elite on defense, whether or not the questions at guard persist. Bruce Pearl’s system, the depth, and the impact of the returnees is almost enough to make the defense elite without any help. Tahaad Pettiford showed a relentlessness on both sides of the court that will pair well with the taller and lankier than usual guards Auburn has in its backcourt, and fellow freshman Jahki Howard had four steals and showed potential as a help-side rim protector. If anything, the defense might even improve. Especially if Chad Baker-Mazara and Denver Jones take on more minutes.

Revisiting last season’s themes: minutes and guard play in the exhibition
Jones and Baker-Mazara were two of seven players to break the 20-minute mark in the exhibition. I expect Auburn to play deep again, but I also expect the staff to have learned its lesson from last season and to give guys like Jones, Johni Broome, and CBM extra minutes in important games.

This team also still has two great creators/bucket getters and walking mismatches in Broome and Baker-Mazara. While both were limited in the vanilla exhibition offense and defense, I don’t think anyone should be worried about their potential. Both can be stars this season and likely will be.

The lack of continuity at guard resulted in some choppy play at times. So, right now, things might not look too different from last season to the untrained eyes and box score watchers. However, the makeup of this backcourt and its experience is what makes this team different and what gives the backcourt a better chance at turning into the backcourt Auburn needs. It has work to do, but it also has time to gel with this season’s focus likely cemented on the postseason.

The stats
Auburn had a vanilla game plan but played clean and—statically—played better in many categories compared to last season’s averages.

The Tigers shot 48.5 percent from the field (averaged 47.6 percent in 2023-24), 37.8 percent from three (35.2 percent in 2023-24), and 68.8 percent from the line (75.0 percent in 2023-24). Miles Kelly, JP Pegues, Pettiford, and Jones shot 10-22 from deep on their own. Auburn also had 22 assists to just 10 turnovers, after averaging 17.8 and 10.7 a season ago. Their 10 makes is more than Auburn had as a team in 25 of its games last season.

While the stats from the exhibition game don’t count, it would have tied the most threes Auburn made in a game last season and was the first time Auburn shot better than 35-percent from three on 30 or more attempts since the 2021 season against Yale.

The shooting performance was also an improvement compared to the earlier exhibition game against Furman, when Auburn shot 42.9 percent from the field and 18.2 percent from three while dishing out 13 assists to nine turnovers.

Thoughts on the roster:

-              #0 Tahaad Pettiford (freshman guard)

-              6-1, 175

-              The five-star freshman is always in attack mode. He was bursting down the court transition. He was always ready to shoot, drive, or pass. He’s aggressive and confident, and he’s an exceptionally good basketball player. Pettiford did play mainly off-ball, but he also had some moments where he took control of the offense with another point guard on the court. His role was like a more condensed version of what Samir Doughty played as a senior. However, you could tell Pettiford was the newest guard, as he wasn’t always on the same page as everyone else. His role won’t force him to run the offense when he’s not feeling it and both parties can rely on Pettiford’s strengths in scoring and attacking while letting him ease into other roles.

-               #1 JP Pegues (senior guard)

-              6-2, 180

-              The Furman transfer answered a lot of questions against FAU. He still has some to answer, but I got a better idea of who he will be for Auburn after the FAU game. Pegues was solid all around. He defended well, didn’t force anything, and was usually in the right place. He hasn’t shown the game breaking ability I hoped he would yet, but he looked capable of running an offense with so much talent on it. He kept the ball moving, knew which shots to take, and made some good ones.

-              #2 Denver Jones (senior guard)

-              6-4, 205

-              Jones looked good in both his primary facilitator/point guard role and in an off-ball role. I don’t think that he has the elite handle that Pettiford and Pegues have, but he has a great shot, great burst, and is a good defender. He needs to finish around the rim a little better, but I’m expecting him to take that step and a few others. Like Pegues, he knows how to run a talented offense smoothly.

-              #3 Jahki Howard (freshman wing)

-              6-6, 185

-              The Malik Dunbar comparison with Howard almost seems too easy, but it’s just too hard not to make the way. He’s a fearless rim protector and dunker at that wing position, and he can step out and hit a three with just a smooth shot. He doesn’t have the size of strength of someone like Dunbar, but he plays attentive defense and hit home on some gambles, finishing with a team high four steals (and four fouls). Howard was a former high-ranking five-star recruit who went to startup programs for the second half of his high school career. Don’t be surprised to see some of those five-star flashes as the season goes on.

-              #4 Johni Broome (senior center)

-              6-10, 240

-              The returning All American  looked dominant, even in a game that wasn’t designed for him to dominate. He had impressive passes and strong play on both sides of the court. Broome is legit and is one of the best returning players in Auburn history. Soak it up while you can.

#5 Chris Moore (senior wing/forward)

-              6-6, 220

-              Chris Moore played the least minutes of all returning scholarship players who played with just six minutes. Moore looks like he’ll be a serviceable player if needed at the three and four but didn’t show anything we haven’t already seen from him.

#8 Ja’Heim Hudson (senior forward)

-              6-8, 240

-              Turtle Hudson might surprise people after transferring from SMU. He had five points, coming in the form of a three and a nice move to the basket for a strong dunk. He played both the four and five with good power, reminiscent of a Horace Spencer role from years past.

-              #10 Chad Baker-Mazara (senior wing)

-              6-7, 180

-              The returning wing played with aggression and confidence—and to no one’s surprise, flew across the scorers table on one play and flew across the baseline on another—but don’t let his attitude distract you from his game. He led Auburn in assists (with six), while tallying just one turnover. Baker-Mazara is a remedy to questionable guard play at times, and his ability to get downhill was on full display against FAU. Getting to the rim and increasing his free throw attempts will be a boost to the offense. He’s an elite secondary creator, and if he can attack the paint off the dribble—with and without screens—he’s going to be a complete three-level scorer and creator for Auburn. While his shot wasn’t falling against FAU, his play making and durability reinforced my thoughts about his upcoming breakout season.

#13 Miles Kelly (senior guard/wing)

-              6-6, 190

-              The Georgia Tech transfer is a shotmaker. I don’t think there’s any better description for the guy. He can find open space, he can create space, he can get a shot off, and he can make his shot. He also has size that Auburn hasn’t seen recently at the two guard spot, something that will benefit the Tigers on both ends of the court. The Georgia Tech transfer tied the team high in points and threes.

#31 Chaney Johnson

-              6-7, 225

-              I could see Johnson drawing comparisons to pre-senior year Jaylin Williams this season. He’s not going to have the opportunity to have the kind of season that a senior-Jaylin had, and some of Auburn’s previous power forwards have had, but he’ll show flashes of his skill set and what he’ll offer as a potential future starter. Johnson’s athleticism was apparent with his rim protection and rebounds, and he also looked great from range on his one three pointer.

-              #44 Dylan Cardwell (senior center)

-              6-11, 255

-              Lineups with Cardwell in them can give teams fits this upcoming season. Not just because Auburn can play him alongside Broome; which we saw in the starting lineup, but also because Auburn can sub in a fresh Cardwell after Broome wears down a defense.

Auburn’s regular season officially starts on Nov. 6. Check back for season previews before the tip and a film breakdown after it.