Auburn basketball targeting D.J. Burns in the transfer portal, and no not that one

D.J. Burns has taken over March Madness, carrying NC State on his particularly broad shoulders to the Final Four, but there’s another D.J. Burns who is making waves in the transfer portal. Auburn needs a little bit of March magic after a first-round exit this year, so even if it’s a different one, adding Burns might not be a bad idea. 

Other than just getting a notable name, Burns, a fifth-year senior with one remaining year of eligibility after two years at Southern, two at Murray State, and last season at Youngstown State, was named second-team All-Horizon League and first-team All-Defense in the conference. The 6-foot-7 forward averaged 11.0 rebounds per game, fifth most in the country. 

Despite having one of the best defensive centers in college basketball, Johni Broome, last year, who may be leaving for the NBA, Auburn still only finished 248th in defensive rebounding percentage. Bruce Pearl’s team allowed nine offensive rebounds to Yale in the NCAA Tournament, so Burns could be a nice addition to the rotation, especially with Jaylin Williams out of eligibility. 

Burns isn’t much of a rim-protector, averaging just 0.7 blocks in the Horizon League, but he’s a plus on the defensive end. Offensively, Burns is developing a nice touch, scoring 13.1 points a game while introducing a three-point shot for the first time in his career. He hit at 32.3% from behind the arc on 3.0 attempts per game but is an 84% free throw shooter, so there is reason to suspect he’ll continue to improve as a stretch-four. 

It’s unlikely that this D.J. Burns would ever be the catalyst for a Final Four run, but he could be a key role player for another run at an SEC title.