Auburnâs Johni Broome earns NBA Draft Combine invite

Johni Broome is moving on to the next stage of the NBA Draft process.

Broome, the Tigers’ All-SEC center, earned an invite to this week’s NBA Draft Combine following an impressive showing at the NBA’s G League Elite camp over the weekend, the league announced late Sunday night. Broome is one of eight top performers from the G League Elite camp who got the call up to the combine, which will be held from Tuesday through Thursday in Chicago.

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Broome earned his invite after big-time performances in two G League Elite camp games. Broome scored 40 points on 16-of-25 shooting across two games this weekend while pulling down 12 total rebounds, blocking four shots and dishing out three assists.

In his first game Saturday afternoon, Broome scored a game-high 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting, including 1-of-2 from beyond the arc. He made 10 trips to the foul line and made six of his free-throw attempts. Broome added four rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal. He followed it up with another strong outing Sunday, scoring 17 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including 1-of-3 from 3-point range. He missed his only free-throw attempt but corralled eight rebounds, with four of them on the offensive glass. Broome also blocked three shots and was a game-high plus-17 in 21 minutes of action.

Broome’s invite to the NBA Draft Combine, while a boost for his potential draft stock, leaves Auburn in wait-and-see mode with its star center. Underclassmen who declared for the draft and retained their eligibility, as Broome did, have until until 11:59 p.m. ET on May 30 to withdraw from the NBA Draft and return to school. When Broome declared last month, the expectation was that he would likely return to school, but with his stock on the rise, Bruce Pearl and the Tigers will have to wait at least a few more days — until after the NBA Draft Combine — as Broome gauges his standing with NBA teams.

Should Broome excel at the combine this week and see his stock continue to rise, it would leave Auburn in a tough spot heading into next year. Broome, who was the OVC Defensive Player of the Year at Morehead State during the 2021-22 season before transferring to Auburn, was the Tigers’ leading scorer (14.2 points per game) and rebounder (8.4 per game) last season. He finished the year with 10 double-doubles, including nine in SEC play.

If Broome ultimately doesn’t withdraw from the draft by the May 30 deadline, Auburn would need to fill a significant hole at center. The only other center on scholarship is Dylan Cardwell, who also tested the draft waters but did not earn a G League Elite camp invite and is expected back next season. That could put Auburn in the market for another big as Pearl and his staff continue to reshape the roster heading into next season.

Another note from the G League Elite camp that could impact Auburn’s roster restructuring was that Vanderbilt wing Tyrin Lawrence was not among the call-ups to the NBA Draft Combine. Lawrence, who hit the portal last month while testing the draft waters, visited Auburn before earning an invite to the G League Elite camp. In two games in Chicago over the weekend, Lawrence averaged 5.5 points, five rebounds and 2.5 assists. He scored 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting Saturday while grabbing five boards and registering two assists, but on Sunday he was scoreless while missing all five of his shot attempts. He added five rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block.

Lawrence, a 6-foot-4 guard/wing, averaged 13.1. points and 4.4 rebounds per game for Vanderbilt last season while shooting 50.2 percent overall and 36 percent from distance.

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.