Auburn sophomore guard Tahaad Pettiford will return to the Tigers

Tahaad Pettiford is returning to Auburn for another season, sources confirm to AuburnSports. Pettiford’s return gives Steven Pearl a proven backcourt piece to build around as the Tigers continue shaping next year’s roster.

Kevin Overton and Sebastian Williams-Adams have already announced intentions of returning as well.

Pettiford’s decision, much like Kevin Overton’s and Sebastian Williams-Adams’, reflects a belief in the program’s immediate future after Auburn missed the NCAA Tournament this past season.

Pettiford took a step forward in his sophomore season when it came to scoring, averaging 15 points and four assists per game while playing in all 38 games and starting 36 of them at point guard. His workload jumped in a big way, too, going from 21 minutes per game as a freshman reserve to 33 minutes per game this past season.

Seven of Pettiford’s top eight assist games came during the back half of the season. Over the final 16 games, Pettiford averaged 18 points per game with a more than 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

But, with his three-point percentage dipping from 37 percent to 29 percent, Pettiford still showed the need for growth. His free-throw shooting climbed to 82 percent, up two points from last season, and he nearly added another rebound per game while handling far more on-ball responsibility.

He saved one of his best performances for the final game of the year, finishing with 24 points and eight assists in Auburn’s NIT championship win over Tulsa.

The season wasn’t without adversity. Pettiford came off the bench in two games after being late to film sessions and he also had to navigate a summer DUI issue away from the court. Still, he produced, finishing with 13 games of 20 or more points and 14 games with at least five assists.

Clearly, Auburn still values Pettiford’s skill set and his place in the program as a potential lynchpin to future success.

His ability to rise in big moments against top competition remained one of the biggest positives in his season. Pettiford scored 29 points at Arkansas, dropped 30 at Arizona, had 27 against St. John’s and added 25 at home against Alabama.

With Pettiford back, Auburn’s focus now shifts to building more guard depth around him.

The Tigers would like to add multiple guards this offseason, both to ease the burden on Pettiford as the primary ball-handler and to give him more chances to slide over to the two, where his scoring ability can be featured even more. More depth would also help manage his minutes after the heavy load he carried this season.