Johni Broome injury: Jay Williams gives surprising take on Auburn without star big man

Johni Broome went down with a scary injury on Saturday, having to be helped back to the locker room against South Carolina. His status is certainly in question moving forward. Bruce Pearl says an MRI will take place on Sunday as Auburn awaits to hear definitive news.

Everyone is hoping the injury is a short-term one and Broome will miss a minimal amount of time. It’s something Auburn will have to deal with and ESPN’s Jay Williams believes there is opportunity ahead. Pearl could expand playing time for a few players, potentially leading to some valued experience come March.

“If it is a short time frame, use this opportunity as a moment for your team to corral and find guys that can plug those gaps to try to expand the depth of your team. (Pearl) already plays nine to 10 guys anyway. Plug those holes, get guys more experience doing different things. This way, when Broome comes back, it additive to the team playing around him already.”

Losing Broome is going to be no easy task for Auburn. He was almost the runaway favorite for National Player of the Year, averaging 18.7 points and 11.2 rebounds per game entering Saturday.

For the most part, South Carolina was able to keep him in check before the injury. Broome made just three of 11 shots, finishing with six points and three rebounds.

As Williams mentioned, Auburn does already run quite a deep rotation. Ten players average at least 10 minutes per game from Broome at around 28 to JP Pegues at 10.5. Auburn possesses some of the best depth not just in the SEC but the entire country.

Expanded roles for a few guys are coming, even if they are not playing center. Dylan Cardwell immediately becomes the team’s best big man but Pearl could begin to rely on a few of his younger guards. Freshman guard Tahaad Pettiford stands out to Williams, the former McDonald’s All-American.

Tuesday is likely to be Auburn’s first game without Broome, hosting a ranked Mississippi State. There are no days off in the SEC and Pearl knows every single game will be a grind. Going through without the team’s best player is going to be tough but there appear to be solutions available for the head coach.

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