Auburn Basketball: Why JP Pegues is the most important team transfer for 2024-25

It’s remarkable to think back to what was happening at Auburn before Bruce Pearl was hired a decade ago. He took the Tigers to their first Final Four in 2019 and has made them almost yearly contenders in an SEC as tough as it’s ever been. This past season was another success with 27 wins and a 2nd place finish in the league, even though an upset loss to Yale really put a damper on the season as a whole.

Remarkable is a great way to describe some of the talent that’s passed through Auburn in recent years and fortunately a lot of that talent will return. Though Jaylin Williams and a few other names won’t be back, the trio of Johni Broome, Chad Baker-Mazara, and Denver Jones all return for their senior years. Broome especially is a major return, fresh off a season as one of the SEC’s top scorers and rebounders.

While the Tigers did lose a few other players to the Transfer Portal, they utilized it themselves and boosted this roster, much like when they added Broome two years ago or Baker-Mazara last season. This time around the attention is on players like Ja’Heiim Hudson, a former small forward from SMU. Perhaps the best new face in town is Miles Kelly, a combo guard who spent time at Georgia Tech, though there’s one other person we’ll focus on for today.

JP Pegues joins Auburn after spending the first three years of his collegiate career at Furman. Not only was he making waves for the Paladins in the Southern Conference, Pegues remains well known for a game-winning shot over Virginia during the 2023 NCAA Tournament as a sophomore. This past season saw another significant improvement, as he’d average 18.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game, earning himself First Team All-SoCon honors.

This past season was a fantastic effort from a point guard who’s shown that he can score and distribute the basketball. Pegues was one of the SoCon’s best players in nearly every aspect, finishing among the leaders in points, assists, and free throw percentage. That translates well for an Auburn squad that lost a flurry of guards this past offseason, including Tre Donaldson and K. D. Johnson, a pair of true point guards.

The initial question is how he handles the significant upgrade from SoCon to SEC. Dalton Knecht’s efforts at Tennessee last season are a prime example of how a mid-major stud can showcase himself in a league like the SEC, though everybody is different. Auburn really needs production and stability out of Pegues in this veteran and talented lineup. What can they reasonably expect from him?

The good news is that Auburn has Broome back in the fold and any point guard is going to look better with him and other valuable options around on the court. Pegues doesn’t need to drop 15 or 20 points every night to be successful; just become a productive tool for this Tigers team. Is the addition of Pegues and this other talent enough to offset what Auburn lost in the offseason? Can Pegues take another big step forward and become a star guard in the SEC?