Johni Broome continues to lead the way for Auburn as the NCAA Tournament nears
Auburn remains the best team in college basketball and Johni Broome continues to prove why he should be in the National Player of the Year conversation.
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Auburn big man Johni Broome has worked out for seven NBA teams, with three more visits planned.The Phoenix Suns, who hold the 29th pick, are among Broome’s remaining visits and are considered a potential landing spot.
Johni Broome is grinding through the second half of his NBA pre-draft workout visits.
The Auburn big and first-team All-American had his seventh one Thursday, June 12, with the Golden State Warriors, saying his previous six were with the Los Angeles Clippers, Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics.
That leaves three more for the 2024-25 SEC Player of the Year.
The Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves – and Phoenix Suns – are the three teams Broome named when asked who his final three scheduled visits were.
“I think I’ll fit well in a lot of organizations,” Broome said. “Whoever picks me will get a good player, a dog, somebody who is going to contribute right away.”
The Suns have the 29th overall pick in the first round and 52nd overall selection in the second round of this year’s NBA Draft June 25-26 in Brooklyn. CBS Sports has Phoenix taking Broome with that 29th pick in its NBA mock draft dated June 11.
“The Suns’ offseason will be worth monitoring,” wrote Cameron Salerno, who covers college football and basketball for CBS Sports. “Depending on what the franchise does with Kevin Durant, the Suns could be in rebuild mode or more of a retool – depending on the assets received in a potential trade. Regardless, the Suns need a center. Why not fill that void with one of the best bigs in college basketball from this past season?”
The Suns started this past season with Jusuf Nurkic at center. He was acquired in a trade that sent Deandre Ayton to the Portland Trail Blazers before the 2023-24 season. They later traded Nurkic to Charlotte and landed Nick Richards from the Hornets in a separate deal.
Richards averaged a career-high 9.5 points on 60.5% shooting and 8.6 rebounds in 36 games with the Suns. Starting 34 games, Richards saw his minutes go up and down later in the season as he dealt with an elbow injury that sidelined him by season’s end.
Phoenix had veteran Mason Plumlee and rookie Oso Ighodaro as backup bigs, but enters this draft seeking size.
Broome averaged 18.6 points on 51% shooting, 10.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists in leading then No. 1 Auburn to the 2025 Final Four. Starting his college career in 2020-21 at Morehead State, where he played two years, Broome spent his final three years at Auburn.
He’s the only player in NCAA Division I men’s basketball history to churn out 2,500 points, 1,500 rebounds and 400 blocks in his career.
Broome has a thirst for boards that he believes can translate to the NBA right away.
“My ability to go get the ball off the glass, offensively, defensively,” Broome said. “Rebounding wins basketball games. Rebounding gives you more possessions.”
Broome said Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl stressed the importance of playing with a steady motor, which fuels the energy and drive to rebound. He compares himself to Thunder big Isaiah Hartenstein and T-Wolves forward Julius Randle, a fellow lefty.
“I try to copy some of his moves,” said Broome about Randle. “He’s a lefty. So it’s a little easier to see what he does and try to incorporate it in my own game a little bit.”
Scoring and rebounding is what Broome consistently showed at Auburn. He’s looked to show his defensive ability, playmaking as well as working the offensive and defensive boards in these pre-draft workouts.
Broome participated in the NBA Draft Combine last month in Chicago. Measuring out at 6-9¼ without shoes with a 7-0-¼ wingspan, Broome weighed 249.4 pounds. His max vertical was 28 inches.
The Suns have already had Michigan big Danny Wolf in for a pre-draft workout. The Wolverines lost to the Tigers, 78-65, in the Sweet 16 this year as Broome and Wolf matched up multiple times through the game.
Broome posted a monster double-double of 22 points and 16 rebounds in 30 minutes while Wolf went for 20 points and six boards in 34 minutes. Broome followed that performance with a 25-point, 14-rebound effort in leading Auburn past Michigan State in the Elite Eight to advance to the Final Four.
Shooting 10-of-13 from the field, Broome went 2-of-2 from 3 in 28 minutes of work.
“That’s why he’s an All-American,” Spartans head coach Tom Izzo said after the game about Broome. “That’s why he’s a player of the year candidate.”
Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
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