How we would rate Auburn's players if college basketball were to get video game
AUBURN — Before freshman receiver Cam Coleman takes the field at Jordan-Hare Stadium for the first time in the season opener against Alabama A&M in August, Auburn football fans can virtually create what it'll look like in the new EA Sports College Football video game set to release in July.
The game's return is a win for those who've been craving to play as their favorite teams for more than a decade, as a college football game that includes real players and real brands hasn't been released since NCAA Football 14 in 2013. But new NIL rules have allowed the franchise to make a comeback.
A basketball version isn't on the way — at least not yet — but that won't stop anyone from imagining what Auburn would look like in a virtual Neville Arena.
Here's a list of who we think would be Auburn's top five rated players if a basketball game was released today:
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5. Miles Kelly (81 overall)
Best attribute: Defensive rebounding
Georgia Tech transfer Miles Kelly can do plenty well, but his knack for securing defensive rebounds is what sticks out most, especially at his height of 6-foot-6. He averaged 4.5 defensive boards last season, and that production was pivotal for an Auburn team that sometimes struggled to get after it on the glass. Kelly's ability to snag rebounds is particularly important given the fact Jaylin Williams, Auburn's second leading rebounder from a season ago, has run out of eligibility.
4. JP Pegues (82 overall)
Best attribute: Offensive consistency
The SoCon isn't the SEC — one team in the KenPom top 100 last season versus seven teams in the top 35, respectively — but Furman transfer JP Pegues matched up against enough quality competition to see how his game might translate on a bigger stage. In seven Quadrant I and Quadrant II opportunities, Pegues averaged 20.4 points, 4.9 assists and 3.8 rebounds, per College Basketball Analytics. No matter the opponent, Pegues was able to put up numbers.
3. Denver Jones (83 overall)
Best attribute: 3-point shooting
It took a minute for Denver Jones to find his range after transferring in from Florida International, but the proven sharpshooter was knocked down 50% of his 3-pointers over last season's final 16 games. Jones' knack for hitting triples was best on display in a home game against Georgia in February, when he sank seven of his nine attempts from beyond the arc.
2. Chad Baker-Mazara (84 overall)
Best attribute: Toughness
Similar to Kelly, there's a lot to like about Chad Baker-Mazara's game. He can create for others, shoot it from deep and his length makes him a problem for opponents on the defensive end. But the one thing that sticks out when watching Baker-Mazara is the edge in which he plays the game, seemingly never afraid of the moment and always ready to get into it with someone on the other team. His propensity to wear his emotions on his sleeve needs to be kept under control, but it often helped the Tigers win games last season.
1. Johni Broome (94 overall)
Best attribute: Close shot
Few players in the country should be viewed in a better light than Broome, who is entering his third year at Auburn and his fifth overall in college. Broome was efficient last year, averaging 16.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in 24.8 minutes while making 35.4% of his 3-pointers on 2.3 attempts per game. He made 69.3% of his 215 tries within 4.5 feet of the rim, according to College Basketball Analytics. That mark was 7.4% above the national average.
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: Imaging what tigers would look like in video game