HOOVER — Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl knows two things for certain.

The first is he's built a program that's commanded respect, winning at least 20 games in six of the last seven seasons and making an appearance in March Madness for the last three years. Only one other time in program history have the Tigers reached the NCAA Tournament in at least three consecutive campaigns (1984-88).

The second? The Plains will always be football country, no matter how much success his team has.

As a result, he often uses football analogies to get his points across. He leaned on that strategy Tuesday while speaking to reporters at an AMBUSH event at the Finley Center. Pearl was asked about senior Denver Jones, who is a natural shooting guard and the expected starter at the 2, but will be tasked with playing key minutes at point guard next season behind Furman transfer JP Pegues.

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"He's got the skills, and I think he's got what it takes to play the position," Pearl said of Jones. "But it's different. ... If you've never played quarterback, if you've never taken a snap ... and now all of a sudden that ball is in your hands and there's a bunch of dudes running in your direction, (it's difficult). And then you're supposed to look down the field and know exactly where guys are and aren't, and when you're supposed to deliver the pass. All that stuff."

Jones transferred to Auburn from Florida International in April 2023, and his addition proved pivotal in helping the Tigers win a conference tournament championship and secure 27 victories, the fourth-most Auburn has ever had in a single season.

Following a shaky seven-game start, which featured him making just 35.9% of his shots from the field, Jones settled in and became Auburn's most reliable shooter beyond the 3-point arc. He finished with an average of 9.1 points and 1.3 assists while knocking down 41.8% of his triples on 3.5 attempts per game.

Jones' previous point guard opportunities have been limited. He was on the floor without Aden Holloway and Tre Donaldson − Auburn's tandem at the lead guard position in 2023-24 − for just 22 minutes and 40 seconds, according to College Basketball Analytics. The Tigers outscored teams 19-13 in that time.

"Being the point guard, he's got to set the offense. His shoulders, his eyes, his body have got to be in the right place at the right time all the time in order for us to be able to make that play work," Pearl said.

"Off the ball, (he can just) go get it and go score. We'll throw it you, you'll be in advantage, disadvantage situations. Go get a ball screen, go downhill, go get a bucket. So, I think it's great for his development and his understanding of the game. My anticipation is that he'll play both (PG and SG)."

Holloway (Alabama) and Donaldson (Michigan) both left via the transfer portal this offseason. Pegues is expected to be the main contributor at PG, with Jones and five-star freshman Tahaad Pettiford backing him up. Pettiford is ranked by the 247Sports Composite as the No. 1 point guard in the Class of 2024, but Pearl has been firm in his desire to play him off the ball to begin his career.

"The back court will look a lot different. ... We’re bigger and longer and more athletic. Jahki Howard and Tahaad are terrific freshmen, and they’re both pushing. Then Chad Baker(-Mazara) and Denver are great returning guards, so there’s really, really good competition."

Jones, set to use his final year of eligibility, should have plenty of opportunity to get on the floor in both his natural role as well as the role he's currently working on.

That development will be crucial for what the Tigers want to do next season.

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rich_silva18.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn basketball: Denver Jones still learning how to play point guard