Originally published April 22.
Last night was the official deadline to enter names into the 2019 NBA Draft. At that time Auburn's Jared Harper and Chuma Okeke had put both their names into the pool. As of this morning it seems Austin Wiley will not be entering the draft and will be staying at Auburn.
The below projections are with the assumption Harper and Okeke will remain in the draft. If they come back, they will obviously start at point guard and power forward, respectively. This depth chart is also without Sharife Cooper, the five-star 2020 point guard who is heavily leaning Auburn's way and is reportedly considering reclassifying, and shooting guard Rayjon Tucker, the Arkansas Little Rock grad transfer who has Auburn in the mix for his talents.
With that all established, let's see what next season's depth chart could look like.
Point guard
- J'Von McCormick, senior
- Tyrell "Turbo" Jones, freshman
With Harper gone, J'Von McCormick will have to step up as the starter. McCormick has already shown that he has the ability to do so after his impressive performances during the SEC tournament and the NCAA tournament.
Behind McCormick should be "Turbo" Jones, who gets his nickname for a good reason. Jones may be the fastest high school guard in the country -- a jet with the basketball, and he also has a good vertical as a lateral athlete. He will need to work on consistency with his shot but has already shown that he can sink it from behind the arc.
Shooting guard
- Samir Doughty, senior
- Jamal Johnson, sophomore
Samir Doughty seems like the right guy to move from the small forward position to guard. Doughty came to Auburn as a combo guard so there is plenty of experience to go off of.
Doughty has already shown that he can be consistent with his shot while being a lock-down defender on defense. Jamal Johnson will experience his first playable season at Auburn after transferring from Memphis. As a freshman at Memphis, Johnson averaged 6.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and one assist a game. Johnson connected on 47 3-point attempts and shot 33 percent from beyond the arc.
Small forward
- Isaac Okoro, freshman
- Allen Flanigan, freshman
Expect this position to be Auburn's youngest position on the court but not lacking the talent. This seems to be Isaac Okoro's position to lose. Okoro is effective in transition and plays with a toughness that will be great for the team.
He is a good rebounder who will have to work on his long-range shooting some. Allen Flanigan is the son of current assistant coach Wes Flanigan. Allen Flanigan is known his basketball IQ and his ability to get to the rim. He should see a good amount of playing time next season.
Power forward
- Danjel Purifoy, senior
- Jaylin Williams, freshman
Danjel Purifoy started to see more gradual playing time as the season after his return. It will be Purifoy's job to lose this upcoming season with Okeke declaring for the draft. Auburn will need his physicality on defense and his ability to hit 3-pointers.
Jaylin Williams will be an incoming freshman that has the toughness and motor to compete immediately in the SEC. Williams is an excellent rebounder and thrives in the mid-range to the lane part of the court.
Center
- Anfernee McLemore, senior
- Austin Wiley, senior
- Babatunde Akingbola, freshman
With both Anfernee McLemore and Austin Wiley returning it should look a lot like last season with how the rotation was. McLemore has shown that he has the ability to hit shots beyond the arc as last season progressed.
Wiley will be looking to have a monster season where he can raise his draft stock substantially. Wiley dominates the paint on defense but will need to improve some on his rebounding and consistency on making shots.
Babatunde Akingbola is one that might not see a ton of play but he is a fantastic rebounder and shot blocker. Akingbola is currently waiting on his VISA to be approved to attempt to be on campus by the time the season starts.
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