Positional Preview: Guards

Auburn will have a completely different backcourt with only one returning guard from last year being Denver Jones.

Auburn lost Tre Donaldson (Michigan), Aden Holloway (Alabama) and KD Johnson (George Mason). The Tigers' guards last year were solid for parts of the year but also struggled with shooting and controlling the offense for other parts of the year.

Auburn brought in two major transfer portal guards in JP Pegues (Furman) and Miles Kelly (Georgia Tech) who are both dynamic scorers and good shooters. The Tigers also brought in 24/7 four-star high school signee Tahaad Pettiford who was ranked 29th in his class. 

Players:

Denver Jones:

Jones, standing at 6-foot-4, was a new addition to Auburn last year from FIU. It took the at the time junior guard some time to get going but at the end of the year Jones turned into the Tigers' best guard and arguably best shooter. 

Jones finished the season averaging 9.1 points-per-game, 1.9 rebounds-per-game and 1.3 assists-per-game. He also shot 44.2% from the field and 41.8% from three while finishing at 86.3% from the free throw line. 

The senior guard should have a similar role as last year with maybe more on ball handling and individual scoring responsibilities like the Tigers experienced towards the end of last year.

JP Pegues:

The 6-foot-2 point guard  transferred to Auburn from Furman where he was the Paladins top scorer and top passer last year. Pegues averaged 18.4 points-per-game, 4.3 rebounds-per-game and 4.8 assists-per-game at Furman in 2023-24. He also shot 42.0% from the field and 36.2% from three while shooting 87.5% from the free throw line. 

Pegues is a very good pick and roll player that can shoot the ball very well, especially off the dribble. He is projected to be Auburn's starting point guard while also being another senior to rely on. Pegues is also known of hitting the big shot hitting a game winner to beat five-seeded Virginia in the NCAA Tournament. 

Miles Kelly:

Kelly is a bigger guard standing at 6-foot-6 that is known for his scoring and shooting ability. The Georgia Tech transfer averaged 13.9 points-per-game, 5.5 rebounds-per-game and 1.8 assists-per-game last year — not shooting the ball as efficiently as he did in his two previous years. 

Kelly shot 36.9% from the field and 32.1% from three. Being on a better offense while not being asked to do as much could potentially create a more efficient and dynamic production this season. 

Tahaad Pettiford:

Pettiford is a freshman 6-foot-1 guard from Jersey City, New Jersey. Known for his athleticism and his all-around offensive game, Pettiford can handle the ball, play make, get to the rim and shoot from three. 

In his senior year of high school Pettiford averaged just over 19 points-per-game. The true freshman is projected to have the role of Auburn’s backup point guard. In the Tigers' preseason game against Furman, Pettiford scored 13 points while hitting two three pointers.

The new slate of guards for Auburn this year have the chance to help elevate the Tigers during the season and in March with their scoring, shooting, playmaking ability and experience.