3 Auburn basketball players who probably won’t be back next season

Auburn had a loaded roster a year ago, but not enough star power. As Bruce Pearl hunts for the latter, he'll likely lose a few established veterans who led his team to the SEC Tournament title.

Auburn Tigers guard K.D. Johnson (0)
Auburn Tigers guard K.D. Johnson (0) | Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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Johni Broome had a legitimate case as the best player in the SEC last season. While general consensus is partial to Dalton Knecht, there’s an argument to be had. Still, Pearl really connected his star center. 

Broome averaged less than 25 minutes a game throughout the season and still averaged 16.5 points while shooting 54.8% from the field and was an excellent defender, especially as a slightly undersized rim protector. He was a hyper-efficient player, but there are deficiencies that would have shown up if he was logging 30-33 minutes a night. If Broome returns that’s what will be needed on a roster with much less depth, so now if his time to make the jump to the NBA. 

There isn’t much more for Broome to improve at the college level, he’s a superior athlete with serious strength on the interior and he could dominate for another season, but it won’t improve his draft stock, so he should strike while the iron’s hot. He'll likely be a second round pick in this summer's NBA Draft and for a 6'10" post-up center, that's not bad.