College Star Withdraws From NBA Draft After Being Voted Most Underrated Prospect

He will instead return to Auburn for his second season.

Auburn Tigers guard Tahaad Pettiford celebrates after a play. / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Auburn's Tahaad Pettiford will return to the Tigers next season as he chose to withdraw from the NBA Draft on Wednesday, according to On3's Joe Tipton.

Pettiford confirmed the news with an Instagram post including the iconic Michael Jordan quote "I'm back."

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Pettiford's decision came as a bit of a surprise. Earlier Wednesday, an ESPN article by Jeff Borzello, Jeremy Woo, Jonathan Givony and Zach Kram polled NBA draft prospects on whothey thought the most underrated player in the draft was. Pettiford received the most votes, with four from his fellow prospects.

Fellow Auburn star Johni Broome, who's projected to be a first-round pick, spoke highly of Pettiford: "He's a very good guard, can bring a lot to an NBA team for sure. He's very explosive, he makes the right plays. He's young, but he can definitely grow into a very good young player."

Pettiford will instead return to Auburn for his sophomore season. During his first year, he played in 38 games and averaged 11.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists off the bench. He was considered one of the top freshman in the nation last season as he journeyed with the Tigers to the Final Four.

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