Biggest remaining questions for Auburn basketball: How do Tigers replace Jaylin Williams?

AUBURN — The SEC just might run through the Yellowhammer State next season.

Auburn basketball and Alabama, after campaigns that featured an SEC Tournament title and a run to the Final Four, respectively, have reloaded their rosters this offseason. Other contenders such as Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee may be in the picture, but none of those programs are returning All-Americans like the Tigers are doing with Johni Broome and the Crimson Tide may be doing with Mark Sears.

With Broome back, and other pieces such as Chad Baker-Mazara and Denver Jones around him, expectations are elevated for coach Bruce Pearl’s 11th season. That, however, doesn’t mean the Tigers are bullet proof.

With offseason additions still to make and the season opener still months away, here are a few of our biggest roster-related questions for Auburn to answer:

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Can Auburn basketball replace Jaylin Williams?

Replacing the production of All-SEC forward Jaylin Williams will be a group effort, rather than the Tigers finding a one-to-one replacement for the Georgia native who spent five years with the program.

Williams averaged a career-best 12.4 points last season, shooting an efficient 57.4% and hitting his 3-pointers at a 39.5% rate. His true shooting percentage of 68.2% ranked No. 6 amongst players in the SEC, per College Basketball Analytics. It was No. 1 amongst full-time starters. Williams also added 4.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 34 appearances.

Chaney Johnson will have to step up without Williams. In his lone start last season, Johnson dropped 16 points and four rebounds on 6-for-9 shooting. Doing that consistently is a tough ask, which is why Auburn is still pursuing other options at PF to complement Johnson such as Samford transfer Achor Achor, who is set to visit the Tigers this week, according to Joe Tipton of On3 Sports.

Does Tahaad Pettiford play PG at all?

Pearl laid out his plan in March for incoming five-star freshman Tahaad Pettiford: “Get buckets.”

“Tahaad’s not a point guard,” Pearl said. “He’s got the size of a point guard, but everyone assumed Tahaad was going to come in and be our point guard. He’s not. Tahaad is a scorer. He is an incredible athlete. He can make plays on both ends of the floor. … But he’s not a true point guard. Can he play some? He might. I actually think early in his career, I think I’m going to try to play him off the ball and let him do what he do: Get buckets.”

Auburn is still in search of a backup PG to pair with Furman transfer JP Pegues — former UTSA standout Jordan Ivy-Curry is visiting Thursday, per Nathan King of Auburn Undercover. But what if the Tigers don’t end up with a backup they’re satisfied with? They’ll need a body for depth, but if that player isn’t satisfactory, perhaps Pettiford or Jones could get some minutes at PG.

How much of an upgrade is JP Pegues?

The SoCon, where Pegues played last season, and the SEC are not on the same level. But the transfer guard played against enough quality competition to make some comparisons.

Pegues participated in in eight games that finished as Quadrant I or Quadrant II opportunities. His averages in those matchups were 20.4 points, 4.9 assists and 3.8 rebounds in 34.5 minutes, per College Basketball Analytics. He made 39.5% of his 2-pointers and 37.3% of his 3-pointers. His assist-to-turnover ratio landed on 2.27 and his true shooting percentage finished at 59.4%.

The 6-foot-1 Pegues is tasked with being an upgrade over Auburn’s point guards from last season: Aden Holloway and Tre Donaldson. That duo had its strengths and weaknesses, but Pegues, set to play his fourth season, is unquestionably more experienced than them both.

Will that experience lead to better play?

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rich_silva18.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn basketball: Questions for Tigers as offseason rolls on