Film Room: How Tahaad Pettiford silenced the Storm in Vegas
Auburn's superstar sophomore put an emphatic end to an early-season slump, making winning plays all over the floor to beat St. John's.
From Justin: Since I was in new football coach mode for the last 48 hours, my brother — who contributes a ton with our basketball coverage — took the keys and wrote his own Film Room on what made Tahaad Pettiford so special last week vs. St. John’s.
Enjoy this brilliant breakdown on Pettiford’s performance in the comeback victory. When you’re done, in case you missed it yesterday, you can check out our takeaways from Alex Golesh’s introductory press conference from Monday afternoon.
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Tahaad Pettiford had to be sensing it.
Whether it came from his own head, mentions on social media, or the uneasy tension in the arena, the words “sophomore slump” hung over every miss.
And, after a personal 0-for-5 shooting drought in the final two minutes of the first half helped fuel a 15-3 St. John’s run that sent Auburn into the locker room down nine — after being on the wrong side of a blowout the night before — those senses were probably never stronger.
But Pettiford had been doing the work. Not just the unseen grind mentioned to keep critics at bay — summer workouts, film sessions, hours in the weight room, (ahem) hundreds of free throws — but the kind that actually shows up between the lines.
And especially in this game. He was leading with defense, pushing the pace, creating advantages, finding teammates, taking care of the ball and finishing in transition. He was making winning plays.
Still, as the half slipped away, the scoreboard stopped rewarding him and the box score stopped defending him.
Coming into Las Vegas, Pettiford was searching for rhythm after an eventful offseason, a muted preseason, and a frustrating five-game start. The mechanics were consistent, the shot selection was sound — but the hoop just seemed to shrink.
He arrived at the Players Era shooting 28.8% from the field and 19.4% from deep — far from the standard of a player who nearly stayed in the NBA Draft this spring and whose return landed him on every preseason watch list imaginable.
And yet, signs of life had started to appear here: 24 points on 8-for-13 shooting inside the arc against Oregon, followed by a 4-for-6 night from outside against defensive behemoth Michigan.
Even early on in this one against St. John’s, he opened 4-for-6 and helped Auburn build a six-point lead with pace, defense, and poise before subbing out for a breather. Then, late in the half, the shots clanged off the rim again, and the slump narrative tried to reclaim him.
But it was just halftime. A fresh 20 minutes was waiting on the other side of the horn. 20 minutes for a player searching for himself. 20 minutes to shake the senses and respond to the rising noise.
And those 20 minutes would belong to Tahaad Pettiford, who finished with a career-high 27 points — including a scoring explosion in the most pivotal moments of the game — while contributing far more than just putting the ball in the basket.
In this Film Room, let’s take a look back at how Pettiford silenced the Storm and snapped the slump to lead Auburn to a major comeback win away from home.
We start just over three minutes in, with Auburn already dictating terms with its defensive pressure.
The Tigers have piled up three steals and a block in their first six possessions, and Pettiford is right in the middle of the chaos — owning one of those steals and adding three deflections to disrupt St. John’s offense before it can settle in. His career night starts exactly the way Auburn wants to play: turning defense into instant offense.
Steal → Transition 3
It all starts, ironically, with an Auburn miss. Bryce Hopkins snatches the rebound and immediately looks to push, trying to catch the Tigers flat-footed. It’s technically a 2-on-3 with KeShawn Murphy chasing him from behind, but Hopkins is determined to make something happen on his own.
The whole sequence lasts a split-second. But on film, you can see Pettiford reading it. He retreats in controlled bounds — squared to the ball, giving ground to keep Hopkins in front while staying balanced enough to spring quickly in any direction.
Hopkins, at 6-foot-7, stretches out long crossovers ahead of himself to build speed and size up the defense, but that becomes the tell. He’s locked into scoring mode and not alert enough to hit the (very) open wing in transition.
Pettiford gauges the dribble rhythm, and the instant Hopkins crosses the ball back over, pounces on the weak hand. He low-points the ball, swipes it cleanly, and flips the floor the other way. Suddenly, he’s the one with the 2-on-3.