Auburn Tigers basketball legend Johni Broome may have to work his way up the ladder in the NBA after being one of the Plains' all-time great athletes in any sport.
Broome's pre-draft process -- that being having suitors from up and down the draft board and across the spectrum, from contender to bottom-feeder -- indicates a lack of consensus on where he may end up in a few weeks.
Worse yet, it could mean that teams are preparing to sign him as an undrafted free agent.
"The pre-draft process has inevitably been busy for Auburn basketball's Johni Broome, who's in the thick of 10 visits with different NBA franchises before the draft's start on June 25," the Montgomery Advertiser's Adam Cole wrote.
"Following a workout with the Golden State Warriors on Thursday, Broome said he has completed visits with the Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Clippers, as well as Golden State.
"He also said he has three more visits scheduled, with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder and Phoenix Suns."
Broome's lack of bounce could be an issue at the NBA level. Broome could probably fix that by transforming his physique, but teams may not be willing to invest much guaranteed money until he does that.
Teams that are concerned about that are looking past the easy buckets he can get in the paint. Bruce Pearl built his lineups around Broome post-ups. Eventually, Pearl was empowering Broome to shoot from beyond the arc. Though his three-point shot isn't quite NBA-ready yet, that's another component that can improve with the right coaches.
Broome brought Auburn to a Final Four. His legend is secure.
But NBA success is far from guaranteed.