Projecting Auburn basketball's 2022-23 depth chart

Here is a breakdown of the Tigers' entire depth chart, from starters to walk-ons.

Auburn basketball starts in three weeks.

Let's go.

The Tigers finished the 2021-22 season in quiet fashion and will now look to rebound after losing All-Americans Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler to the NBA Draft.

At this point, Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl has found a way to do what only the elite programs in college basketball are capable of doing: reloading, not rebuilding.

Hitting the transfer portal hard paid dividends for the Tigers last season, so Auburn tapped into the portal once again for a key addition in the front court.

The backcourt has experience, but also possesses questions. Whether or not the shooting slump Auburn worked itself into in SEC play disappears this year is arguably the biggest question mark on the team. It could prevent the Tigers from winning another SEC regular season title.

How does the team shape up overall? Here's a look at the entire depth chart for Auburn's 2022-23 season, from starters to walk-ons at every position (Starters in bold).

Point Guard

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#1 Wendell Green Jr. (5-10, 175 Jr.)

#12 Zep Jasper (6-1, 190, Sr.)

#3 Tre Donaldson (6-2, 190, Fr.)

#55 Jalen Harper (6-0, 175, Sr.)

#14 Presley Patterson (5-11, 175, Fr.)

Last season, Zep Jasper started at the point for the Tigers with Wendell Green coming off the bench as the sixth man. However, Green ended up playing more minutes (26.4 to Jasper's 23).

I expect this year to be Green's time to shine as the starting 1 for Auburn. How much more time does he command over Jasper? I'm not sure. There may not be much of a difference in MPG for the two veteran guards, and I expect Green's role as one of the Tigers' primary scorers to remain. Production may slightly increase.

Jasper will do one of three things: he will either rotate in as the primary 1 off the bench, start at the 2 but play less than KD Johnson, or rotate in as a combo guard that can fill in at either spot when needed. His on-ball defense and calming presence should be extremely valuable, especially in sub-in situations.

I'm curious to see if the Tigers give Jasper more opportunities to show off his scoring ability, as he was Auburn's third-best option from three (36.6%, min. 8 MPG). While one of the Tigers' offseason narratives surrounded Jasper's involvement in the offense needing to increase, I don't see Auburn designing more looks for him than they did last year.

That's not to say he's not a capable scorer - He has been effective in the past - but Jasper is a defensive-minded guard that seems to understand who he is and loves it. If the Tigers are going to create looks for the backcourt (especially the 2), they will look elsewhere. They could still start Jasper at the 2 and not give him looks (which would be contradictory to how Pearl's offense's have run in the past... but I'm not a coach).

Because of Auburn's depth at guard, Donaldson will probably be the furthest the Tigers reach at this position (outside of blowouts). Even then, I don't expect Donaldson to be getting more than 6-8 minutes a game.

Jalen Harper (brother of former Auburn star Jared Harper) transferred in from FGCU for his senior season to walk-on. He's similar to his brother in terms of play style, but as far as mechanics go Jalen is a little more straight with his jump shot and doesn't have the same quirks as Jared did when it comes to ball handling and movement.

Walk-on Presley Patterson can shoot. I hope he gets a chance to let it fly in game this year.

Shooting Guard

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#0 KD Johnson (6-0, 185 Jr.)

#12 Zep Jasper (6-1, 190, Sr.)

#10 Chance Westry (6-6, 190, Fr.)

#25 Chandler Leopard (6-3, 195, Sr.)

#20 Carter Sobera (6-5, 200, Jr.)

Whether or not Johnson starts for Auburn, I expect his role to be one of the most crucial for the Tigers this season.

Johnson took a step back statistically after seeing his minutes increase following his transfer from Georgia. Shooting 38.6% from the field and 29.0% from three in what should be another year of increased playing time would not be ideal. It's kind of a give and take with KD - you get the good (taking over games late) with the bad (extremely poor shooting performances), and it sort of evens out. Getting better shot selection from him in transition is probably the most important thing.

Jasper will play some time at the 2, but don't expect him to be putting up a lot of shots. If anything, I would expect his amount of shots per game (4.3) to go down with freshman Chance Westry coming in.

Westry is a long combo guard with a smooth handle and fluidity about his game. He was not particularly strong defensively during the Tigers' trip to Israel in the summer, but Westry is raw and will need time to develop into an all-around player. Whether or not he spends more time at the 2 or the 3 (or maybe even the 1 for a stretches?) is unknown.

Sobera and Leopard shot a combined 3-of-6 in 18 minutes of action last season, including Sobera's bucket at the end of regulation to give Auburn a 100-81 win over Alabama.

Small Forward

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#10 Chance Westry (6-6, 190, Fr.)

#22 Allen Flanigan (6-6, 220, Sr.) OR

#2 Jaylin Williams (6-8, 230, Sr.)

#5 Chris Moore (6-6, 230, Jr.) OR

#24 Lior Berman (6-4, 215, Sr.)

Flanigan is currently away from the team dealing with "family issues." He was projected to be the starter at SF this season.

If he is not ready to go, Westry should get the nod here. I don't see Auburn starting Jaylin Williams or Yohan Traore at the 3.

I think the biggest question about Westry is if he can fill the role that Flanigan was forced into during his sophomore season. Chance is a multi-postional player and will see time for Auburn at three different positions. Because of the roster makeup, he should find the most time here.

Jaylin Williams will likely be the next man up here if Pearl doesn't decide to run small-ball lineups more often (Green, Jasper, KD as the 1/2/3). Williams is one of the most experienced players on roster and should continue to be what he has been his whole career: a consistent asset off the bench. His outside shooting touch started to heat up at the end of last season, and he should continue that trend heading into this year. Williams can also work all the way down to the 5 if Auburn chooses to put him there.

A hot start in non-conference play (46.7% FG, 66.7% 3PT in non-con) flamed out for Lior Berman, who saw his minutes quickly dip at the beginning of the SEC slate (20% FG, 0% 3PT in SEC). Whether or not Berman gets a chance to play as much as he did last year is up in the air. One would think without Flanigan, he would once again be asked to contribute in small portions.

I don't believe Chris Moore will be taking a ton of minutes from Berman this season, as Moore saw his playing time crash when Auburn started conference play (12.4 MPG in non-con, 3.7 MPG in SEC). He's a hard-working player who does not have an outside shot. His contributions are best served in smaller sample sizes like Berman.

The most fascinating thing about Auburn at the 3 and the 4 is the fact that they go deep... the bottom of the rotation doesn't feature walk-ons. These are all scholarship players. Moore was a four-star prospect coming out of high school.

SF was, in my opinion, Auburn's weakest position on roster in 2021. Even without Flanigan, I think the Tigers have to like their options only if they are willing to let Williams slide up to the 3 in certain lineups. Running four-deep with your first two options being starter-caliber is solid.

If Flan comes back (even with his struggles), this is a great spot for Auburn to be in here.

Power Forward

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#21 Yohan Traore (6-10, 225, Fr.)

#2 Jaylin Williams (6-8, 230, Sr.)

#4 Johni Broome (6-10, 235, So.)

#5 Chris Moore (6-6, 230, Jr.)

Now this is where things get fun.

Five-star Yohan Traore was initially committed to LSU before flipping to the Tigers back in March. He's an all-around big man that will likely see the most time at the 4/dunker spot. Traore is explosive. A skilled post player who has seemingly random outbursts of energy on post ups. He dunks everything, and he's lean enough to work his way around the Tigers' lineup. I doubt Auburn asks him to do much with his outside shot, but it would not shock me if he's working on it.

Corner three looks for Traore are a possibility in the future. I can also foresee a few lobs being run for him this season.

As mentioned, Williams is extremely versatile and will see time at three different positions this year. I think it could be argued that he deserves to start at the 4 for the Tigers because of seniority (also, Williams doesn't lack starting talent, some may think), but the assumption is that Traore will win that honor during practice over the coming weeks.

Johni Broome will be Auburn's 5, but we will break down what a larger lineup with him at the 4 would look like in a second.

I don't see Moore making his way down to the 4 often, but there is a small chance he gets a little bit of run here. The Tigers seem pretty content to run him higher.

The reason the front court is entertaining is because of all of the potential lineups the Tigers could throw out there. Traore could slide up to the 3, Broome to the 4, while Cardwell plays the 5.

There's so much mixing and matching that it's hard to truly say what player plays what position within any sort of set (Flex, Auburn's primary entry sets on offense - or horns, 5-out, early, etc). One play may see Traore at the 5. The Tigers may come down and run the same play a minute later with Traore at the 3.

Does Auburn have enough time and/or chemistry to get that complex in their offense? I'm not sure. Depth has been a priority for Coach Pearl, and, well, Auburn has it in waves.

If they really wanted to (which I don't think they do), the Tigers could go 13 deep in one game and not see a walk-on touch the floor. That's insane.

Center

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#4 Johni Broome (6-10, 235, So.)

#44 Dylan Cardwell (6-11, 256, Jr.)

#2 Jaylin Williams (6-8, 230, Sr.) OR

#23 Babatunde Akingbola (6-10, 245, Sr.)

#42 Haston Alexander (6-10, 230, Fr.)

Morehead State transfer Johni Broome should be the starting option at center. He's know for being an excellent shot blocker (second in the nation in BPG behind Auburn's Walker Kessler last year), but Broome is not just a defensive stalwart. He does everything.

According to Justin Ferguson of the Auburn Observer, Broome ranked inside the top 15 nationally in rebounds (10.5), blocks (3.9), 2-point field goals (244), defensive win shares (2.9), defensive rating (84.1), rebound percentage (21.5%) and block percentage (13.9%).

Ferg has a phenomenal breakdown of Broome and his impact ($) over on his website that I would highly encourage everyone to go check out.

Broome averaged 17.6 points per game during Auburn's trip to Israel. Adjusting to the speed of the SEC has been the focal point of his offseason development, and so far he's transitioned well according to Pearl.

His offensive style has been commonly described as "old school," a back to the basket type of play that features incredibly smooth footwork, hooks, short fadeaway shots, and strong finishes. Despite being a three-star coming out of high school, Broome has a lot of traits that will make him extremely valuable not just for Auburn, but with development and good coaching could make him strong at the next level.

Behind Johni will be Dylan Cardwell, a third-year center who may have not expanded his game but still does well at what he's asked to do: Block shots, rim run, and catch lobs.

Despite finishing seventh in the SEC in blocks per game (while playing behind Walker Kessler!!) and third in block percentage, Cardwell still had issues protecting the rim. Either he was blocking the shot, or the opposition was scoring. There was little to no in-between. Cardwell has to improve at affecting shots at the rim even if that means not getting a paw on it.

"Stretch" Akingbola may not see much of the rotation this year, but he's a key part of this team from an emotional standpoint.

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