With J’Von McCormick, Samir Doughty, Isaac Okoro, Danjel Purifoy, Austin Wiley and Anfernee McLemore all gone, Auburn basketball will look a lot different next season.
But, head coach Bruce Pearl and his staff have managed to lock up the strongest recruiting class in the program's history and still have two scholarship spots open, with Jalen Green announcing his decision to bypass college and enter the G-League.
Point Guard:
- Sharife Cooper
- Tyrell “Turbo” Jones
Cooper is the currently the highest-rated player to ever sign with Auburn and the clear starter at point guard for the upcoming season. The combo guard can create his own shot, can score at a variety of levels on the floor while also carrying all the skills of a traditional pass-first point guard.
Behind Cooper is Turbo Jones who sat a year behind J’Von McCormick and Samir Doughty last season, but could become deadly in his own right. Out of West Oaks Academy in Orlando, Florida, Jones arrived as an extremely athletic, speedy 4-star, which is where the nickname ‘Turbo came from. He didn’t play much but ended the season on a high note, scoring the last points of the season for Auburn at Tennessee.
If Cooper and Jones develop as advertised, this could create one of the stronger guard duos in the country.
Shooting Guard:
- Allen Flanigan
- Justin Powell
- Jamal Johnson
With Green opting to go pro, Auburn is left with a slight hole at shooting guard. The Tigers have already brought in Justin Powell and keep Jamal Johnson, but neither are developmentally ready to be starters and reliable scoring options.
With that said, expect Flanigan to shift down from small forward and start at shooting guard.
Flanigan will bring a strong defensive presence to the lineup with great length, similar to that of Isaac Okoro. Unlike Okoro, Flanigan’s offense still remains a project.
Coming from the state of Kentucky, Powell looks to be an extremely effective deep threat when he arrives. Powell is less of a threat with the ball in his hands, but he can be a big-time shot maker.
Rounding out the wing position is Jamal Johnson. Johnson sat out his first year after transferring from Memphis but looked to play a big role this season. Initially, it looked like he might.
Against South Alabama, Johnson had 14 points while shooting 4-of-5 from deep. But as the season went on Johnson’s minutes began to decline and so did his game. Johnson looked lost on defense at times and went on a nine-game streak without a field goal. He’ll see some time in the rotation, but don’t expect him to get major minutes.
Small Forward
- Devan Cambridge
- Javon Franklin
After a few breakout performances his freshman season, Devan Cambridge slides into the starting small forward role for his sophomore season.
Cambridge will need to improve his defense and overall consistency as a shooter, but could develop into one of Auburn’s best players. He was somewhat one dimensional however, so he will need to show the ability to score in more ways than just spotting up.
Working his way back from a preseason leg injury, Javon Franklin only appeared in five games last season.
Franklin is as athletic as they come, but is less of a threat from deep. Expect Franklin to contest for minutes at small forward and power forward as he works his way into the rotation.
A lot of the small forward position remains up in the air as Auburn is still targeting Greg Brown, the No. 10 player in the country and Jonathan Kuminga, 2021’s No. 1 player in the country, who is trying to reclassify to 2020.
Power Forward:
- J.T. Thor
- Chris Moore
After he looked Oklahoma State bound for a while, Auburn made a late push and was able to lock in 4-star JT Thor.
Thor is a guard in a forward’s body, consistently bringing the ball up the floor on fast breaks and being able to split defenders and stretch the floor.
The 6-foot-10 forward can shoot from deep and create his own shot, so his play style perfectly compliments that of Cooper.
He’ll need to build a little more strength, so as to not get bullied down low, but Thor can already crash the boards and fight through traffic.
Behind Thor is 3-star Chris Moore who is also very athletic. Moore could see some time at small forward depending on how the lineups and rotations workout, but he came to Auburn as a power forward.
Center
- Jaylin Williams
- Babatunde “Stretch” Akingbola
After spending a lot of last season on the bench, once Jaylin Williams got his shot in the starting rotation, he took advantage of it. Williams didn’t put up a ton of flashy numbers, but he was consistent on both ends of the floor.
Technically he’s listed at power forward, but he’s big enough to be able to play a small-ball center for Auburn.
Along with that, Williams and Thor are simply too valuable to be coming off the bench and they both can’t start at power forward.
Receiving limited time behind Austin Wiley and Anfernee McLemore, Akingbola will look to play a larger role this season.
Formerly a teammate of Cooper at McEachern high school in Georgia, Akingbola is more of a traditional center. His offensive game still remains a project and he needs his touch to continue to develop, but on defense his length provides rim protection and his obvious size gives the Tigers a boost on the boards.
The Plainsman will continue to update this story as players are added to the recruiting class
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