Tahaad Pettiford Continues Stellar Freshman Campaign for Auburn

Tahaad Pettiford has shown time and time again he isn't afraid of the big moment, and Sunday's performance was just another example of his unrelenting confidence.

With potential Player of the Year candidate Johni Broome out with an ankle injury, Auburn needed all the offensive production they could get from their freshman sparkplug. Pettiford had one of his best games of the season dropping 24 points on 7-of-13 from the field while knocking down five of his seven three-point attempts. He also contributed three rebounds, two assists and two steals in only 22 minutes of playing time.

Pettiford serves as instant offense for the No. 1 ranked Auburn Tigers the moment he steps on the floor. The southpaw controls the game with the ball in his hands despite his small stature, which could see him being overlooked at times. He is crafty as can be with the ball and has range that seems to stretch out well beyond the NBA three-point line. In a huge road conference game against No. 23 Georgia, Pettiford willed his Auburn team to victory without their go-to guy.

The Jersey City native was unstoppable in high ball screen situations as he was able to create space and knock down threes off the dribble from very deep range. Every second he has the ball in his hands he is a threat to shoot it from anywhere on the court or attack and get into the paint. He has shown his crafty finishing ability at the rim all season despite being a small guard and has a pretty floater he can use with both hands.

Even though he is always a threat to score, Pettiford has impressive vision in the halfcourt especially using ballscreeens where he has been able to find his rolling big man when teams throw two defenders at him. He is a dynamic playmaker who constantly puts pressure on the defense and can get his team points in a hurry.

Through 18 games, Pettiford is averaging 12 points, 1.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 45.4% from the field and an impressive 43.8% from three. The 6-foot-1 guard is doing this all while coming off the bench in every game he has played and only playing 21.1 minutes a night. His size will deter NBA teams from considering him towards the top of the draft, but his unique scoring ability should at least have teams talking about him as a serious draft prospect as SEC play continues. His confidence seems to grow with each game he plays, and he continues to thrive in his role for the top-ranked team in the country more than halfway through the season.

Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.