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Tahaad Pettiford to declare for NBA Draft, per report
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Auburn point guard Tahaad Pettiford shined throughout his freshman season with the program. Now, he’s reportedly primed to test the NBA Draft waters this offseason.
That news was reported on Monday, including ESPN draft expert Jonathan Givony. Pettiford is the 39th overall draft prospect on ESPN’s board, but Pettiford will maintain his college eligibility and could still return for Auburn next season.
As a freshman, Pettiford logged just one start for Bruce Pearl, but the freshman was still Auburn’s 3rd-leading scorer at 11.6 points per game. He was efficient from 3-point range at 36.6% on the season while surpassing Johni Broome during March Madness to lead the Tigers with 3 assists per game.
Throughout the season, Pearl continually raved about the former 5-star point guard for his willingness to come off the bench early on. His unselfishness was integral, but Pettiford’s play also came up big in some of the clutch moments of the season.
Pettiford delivered 21 points early in the season during a win against Houston, a team that will face Florida on Monday night for the national title. He reached at least 20 points in a game 6 times this season, including against Duke and twice during the NCAA Tournament in wins over Creighton and Michigan.
Now, we’ll see if Pettiford receives enough positive feedback to jump into the draft with both feet.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
