Bruce Pearl breaks down changes in returning, veteran guards ahead of season

The Auburn Tigers had one of the best veteran guard rotations in the country last season. The only problem, though, was their adjustments as the trio all came from the transfer portal. With a year of adjustment under each of their belts, Bruce Pearl believes all three are ready to have even better campaigns in 2022.

Pearl spoke about all three Auburn guards during media on Tuesday. He started with Wendell Green Jr. by saying he thinks that, after Green’s production last year, it’s now about leadership for him this time around.

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“Wendell had a great year. Wendell had one of the more underrated years in college basketball last year…(He) had some pretty big numbers,” said Pearl. “Last year he had to prove it. This year, he’s already proven it. So now the question is is he gonna take that leadership role? Is he gonna really lead our team? He’s in here all the time. You could see a different level of confidence in Wendell.”

Green Jr. transferred in from EKU and put up a great season for Auburn off the bench. He scored 12 points a game and dished 5.1 assists. He was a shot maker for the Tigers in 2021 but, with several changes to the roster, Pearl is correct in that the junior will need to step up in the leadership effort.

Next up was K.D. Johnson, who transferred in from Georgia last season. Johnson was a spark plug for Auburn with 12.3 points per game. He has also improved in nearly every category after his freshman year with the Bulldogs. Pearl says he has continued to make strides and is set to have another big leap this season too.

“K.D. made so much progress last year, on and off the court. Academically, physically,” Pearl said. “You look at him right now and he’s lost some weight. He’s faster, he’s quicker. His practice habits have continued to improve. So he’s positioning himself to have a big year.”

Finally, Pearl gave credit to his starting point guard Zep Jasper. Jasper came in from Charleston and now, as a fifth-year senior, Pearl expects a big step in his offensive game. He put up decent numbers a year ago with 5.1 points and 2.1 assists. Those numbers should tick up, though, with the newfound aggression Jasper has that Pearl described

“I think Zep’s the same. I think Zep is Zep, man. He’s gonna bring it every day,” said Pearl. “I think the only thing you’ll see different with Zep is I think you’ll see Zep being more aggressive shooting the basketball. I think Zep’s gonna be a little bit more aggressive. He shoots a beautiful ball, he shoots a straight ball, and we’ve gotten him to expand his range a little bit. I just see Zep being a little more aggressive offensively.”

This should all be music to the ears of all who follow Auburn hoops. Green Jr., Johnson, and Jasper were all fantastic additions that played key roles a year ago. The improvements Pearl is describing are all things that were among the few knocks on each of them in 2021. With their starting frontcourt off to the NBA, it’s now on the shoulders of these three to hold down the fort. Tipoff is still a bit away, but this update points only to yet another dynamic season from the Tiger backcourt.