Summary: Pettiford is a combo guard with a sniper's touch, raining 3s and lethal floaters while flashing playmaking savvy and a bulldog mentality on both ends. But his smaller size means he'll need to clean up his shot selection and decision-making to max out his game at the next level.
Comparisons: Mike Conley, Brandon Jennings
Strengths
Versatile shooter: Pettiford is an elite shooter from deep range using an array of actions. He hit 36% of dribble-jumper 3s, and 40.4% of catch-and-shoot 3s, per Synergy. He especially showed an incredible ability to get his feet set and balance his body mid-air, making 45% of his 3s using handoffs or screens. Even if he's in a multi-creator offense, he has the skills to operate off-ball and fill the corners on the break, giving him the range of skills to play in any offense.
Shot creation: He can play fast. He can play slow. He shifts gears with ease, always keeping defenders off-balanced with hesitations, crossovers, in-out dribbles, hang dribbles — and virtually any other move.
Floater: Pettiford has a lethal floater, both with his strong hand as a lefty, and with his right off-hand. He also isn't afraid to pull it out in clutch moments, using it late in games against Alabama and Tennessee.
At-rim finishing: Though he's a below-the-rim finisher in the half court, some of his struggles are resolvable due to his lack of strength and his shot selection. In the open floor, Pettiford displays a powerful bounce for dunks on the break. If he's able to get stronger and better absorb contact in the half court, he could someday become a superb, crafty finisher.
Playmaking upside: Pettiford was asked to score first at Auburn, but he flashed manipulative passing feel with his ability to hold defenders with his dribble, then deliver passes to the open man, or by dribbling into the paint, drawing the gaze of a help defender, and then unleashing a wrap-around interior pass. And when he got pressured by two defenders in the pick-and-roll, he consistently stayed composed and delivered accurate passes to the open man.
Mentality: He always competes hard on defense, despite being undersized. He fights to stay in front of opponents, gets into the ball-handler, and he routinely finds himself blowing up plays by staying active off-ball. He even blocked three jump shots, driven by his intensity and motor. This swagger also applies to his offense, and perhaps someday could help him serve as a leader by example for his team.
Concerns
Undersized: At 6-foot-1 with a lean frame, he was outmatched physically by many guards even at the college level. This affects him on drives to the rim: He made only 43.5% of his layups because he gets knocked off his driving lanes. And on defense, naturally he's going to be targeted like any defense at his height.
Shot selection: He gets trigger-happy, not just on the perimeter but on drives to the basket. His at-rim finishing numbers would actually be a lot better if he didn't force so many heavily contested layups, and instead looked to pass first. If he develops his floor general skills and takes smarter shots, his overall efficiency could sky-rocket.
Streakiness: He's had some stinkers. He went 0-for-7 against Georgia, and 2-for-14 in two SEC tournament games against Missiisspi and Tennessee.
Experience: He played only 22.1 minutes per game and came off the bench for Auburn. Though he finished a lot of games, sustaining his success over longer stretches would increase confidence that his production is real.
