re: #tAuburnBasketball Thread

Jonathan Givony
@DraftExpress
DeAndre Hunter, Chuma Okeke and Killian Tillie have withdrawn from the NBA Combine, the league office just informed all 30 teams that they will not be available for interviews tonight. Feel free to start speculating as to why (promises, etc)

Good for Chuma

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Completely controlling the game offensively with his passing and shooting, and playing great defense as well.

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This is interesting

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Jared Harper was an enormous part of Auburn’s miraculous run to the Final Four in 2019, fueling the Tigers in some of the biggest moments of the NCAA Tournament. He scored 26 points to silence the Kentucky Wildcats in the Elite 8, and averaged over 16 points per game for the tournament as a whole. Harper, while undersized (he’s listed at 5’11), made a living off of isolation, ranking in the top third of his draft class in points per possession in isolation situations. He ranked even higher in efficiency off passes in isolation possessions, hinting that he is a willing sharer of the basketball when the opportunity for himself to score is not present.

He was also one of the better pick-and-roll ball handlers in the class, ranking towards the top of the class in points per possession in pick-and-roll situations, both in his own scoring and finding his teammates. Given Harper’s lack of height, he was heavily reliant on shotmaking, and was effective shooting the ball in his final season for the Tigers. The junior ranked towards the top of the class in points per possessions on jumpers, averaging over a point per shot attempt. This number becomes more impressive when you realize 205 of his reported 229 jump shots were from three-point range. Factor in that Harper was elite in pull-up situations as a junior at Auburn, and you’re looking at a potential sixth man weapon at the next level, though his lack of height makes things tricky.

The easiest comparison for Harper that instantly comes to mind when you watch him play is Terry Rozier of the Boston Celtics. However, Rozier stands at 6’1 with a 6’8 wingspan, making him considerably longer than the former Auburn Tiger. Even without a reliable wingspan measurement on record for Harper, it’s tough to imagine he can impact the game on the defensive end in a positive way at his height. Harper gets his points from beyond the arc, and seemingly would rather pull-up in his own rhythm than shoot off of a pass from a teammate, two Rozier-type qualities. Harper will likely have to be more prolific than Rozier (career 35.4%) from deep to provide enough value to make up for the defensive liability he will almost certainly be from day one at 5’11, but that may not be such a stretch given the improvement he made over his collegiate career. It’s also worth noting that Harper’s assist percentage for his junior season was nearly double the mark Rozier has posted throughout his career with the Celtics.

Harper profiles as a potential back-up point/sixth man type of player, probably breaks into the NBA on a two-way contract, potentially as the third point guard for a rebuilding club that lacks veteran depth at the position. The fit in Atlanta is tough given the fact that Trae Young also lacks size, but that didn’t stop Travis Schlenk from bringing in Jaylen Adams after the 2018 NBA Draft. Harper profiles as a much more explosive prospect than Adams, and he has another gear he can get to athletically as well. If Schlenk liked Adams, he should like Harper more.

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LINK

Also thought this was a good writeup on Harper from a Hawks website.

Harper has a HUGE chip on his shoulder as well as some good skills to overcome his height and possibly be drafted. The question is: is he already out of the picture on that? Could be so, if the only G League camp guys that traditionally get combine invites are more of the guys with crazy good raw measurables rather than maybe guys who were really good in college but don't measure out too well.

Either way, whether or not he gets invited and/or gets drafted, he's got a window over the next couple years to play his way in and I wouldn't bet against him.

Auburn's Danjel Purifoy: 'They cheated us' in Final Four

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Time heals most wounds.

In sport, however, the passage of time only seems to deepen the pain, especially when a championship is at stake and a referee makes a call that subsequently decides the game.

That's what happened when Auburn watched a four-point lead in the final seconds dwindle, and the finally disappear with 0.6 seconds remaining in the Final Four against eventual national champion Virginia. Auburn's Samir Doughty was called for a foul as Kyle Guyattempted a 3-pointer, and the prolific free-throw shooter drilled all three freebies to pick up a 63-62 win.

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Most of Auburn's players stayed away from the controversy of the call. Doughty, surrounded by reporters and cameras in the locker room, remained calm and was even complementary of the referees.

But more than one month has passed, and on a recent appearance on Auburn fan Jim Strickland's Twitch channel, Auburn wing man Danjel Purifoy let his voice be heard.

"Oh, yeah, I don't give a f***. My bad," he said, apologizing for cursing on the family-friendly Twitch channel as he played a match of Fortnite with JiMnM. "I don't care what they say, if they tell us not to talk about it, I don't care, they cheated us."

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Strickland compared the foul call  and a missed double dribble by Virginia to the pass interference call on the New Orleans Saints that subsequently set up the Los Angeles Rams to advance to the Super Bowl in January, though as an Auburn fan this one hurt worse. After all, it was the Tigers' first appearance in the Final Four and the game was seemingly won with the Tigers ahead by four points in the final seconds.

"That time on the clock, bro, come on now. Can't make that call," Purifoy said of the foul on Doughty.

There was no mention of the no-call by officials on a double-dribble by Virginia's Ty Jerome just as he bounced the ball up the court with four seconds remaining. If an official had blown the whistle near midcourt, and possession was awarded to Auburn, the Tigers would have the game and advanced to the national championship to face Texas Tech.

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The Red Raiders also apparently wanted no part of the Tigers, who had won 12 straight games before losing to the Cavaliers in the national semifinal.

"They didn't even want to play us," Purifoy said. "We saw them at the hotel they were like man we're so glad we didn't have to play you all, but then they go and get smacked by Virginia. They didn't even look like they put up a fight."

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Texas Tech defeated Michigan State to reach the national championship, but lost 85-77 to Virginia in overtime of the national championship.

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You can watch Purifoy's exchange on Twitch by clicking here (disclaimer: the language is not safe for work).

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Yeah but Texas Tech actually put up a fight. lol

I love the “IDGAF...my bad”