Tahaad Pettiford Sends Message to Auburn Star on Wednesday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Robert Marvi | Last updated Apr 16, 2025 7:47 PM ET

After one season with the Auburn Tigers, Tahaad Pettiford is reportedly going to head into this year's NBA draft.

However, he's also maintaining his NCAA eligibility, so he could always stay in school for the 2025-26 season if he chooses to do so.

Denver Jones, a guard for Auburn, has also decided to enter the draft, and he posted a message on his Instagram account to show his gratitude for the opportunity he had to play for the Tigers.

Pettiford, who was a teammate of Jones this past season, responded by commenting on that social media post.

"right hand," Pettiford posted.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Denver Jones ✨ (@denver.jones2)

Pettiford, who is 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds, averaged 11.6 points a game while hitting 36.6% of his 3-point attempts and adding 3.0 assists and 2.2 rebounds a game during the 2024-25 campaign.

He was a big-time star in his native Jersey City, N.J., where he attended Hudson Catholic Regional High School, and he was chosen to play in the 2024 McDonald's All-American Game thanks to a very strong senior season.

After one season at Garden City Community College and two more at Florida International University, Jones transferred to Auburn for the 2023-24 season. Last season, he averaged 10.9 points and 2.6 assists a game while hitting 41.1% of his 3-point attempts.

At 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, he's a bit of a 'tweener, as he isn't a facilitator, and while he can get buckets off the dribble, especially from long range, he could struggle to create offense against the NBA's bigger shooting guards and wings.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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