Auburn has received a commitment from JUCO forward Javon Franklin of Holmes Community College.
Franklin is a 6’7, 200-pound small forward from Arkansas who will join the Tigers’ 2019 signing class.
He only played in one game for Holmes last season before suffering a season-ending injury and will come to Auburn with three years of eligibility.
https://twitter.com/javonhooping/status/1134566029009534976
Franklin played high school basketball at Parkview in Little Rock for Auburn assistant Wes Flanigan’s dad, Alfred Flanigan.
While at Parkview, Franklin played alongside fellow Auburn commit Allen Flanigan and with 2020 five-star Moses Moody, who holds an offer from the Tigers and played at Montverde in Florida last season. As a senior in high school, Franklin was named Parkview Basketball Player of the Year.
As a freshman at Holmes CC, he played in 29 games and averaged 10.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 2.0 assists.
Franklin scored 20 points (his game-high) twice and scored 10 or more points in 16 games as a freshman.
Unlike most of Auburn’s roster, he didn’t shoot it particularly well from three in his last full season of play. He averaged 16.7 percent from downtown, but his form and handles show a lot of promise for developing a perimeter game:
'19 Hog offer Javon Franklin @javonhooping continues to look comfortable pulling from distance … Bang bang! pic.twitter.com/L8yNNtXF3x
— Kevin McPherson (@ARHoopScoop) August 12, 2018
Either way, Franklin appears to be electric around the basket thanks to his bounce and his ability to get offensive rebounds and throw down big dunks:
Auburn commit Javon Franklin with an insane putback dunk: pic.twitter.com/E34x5AkB33
— Auburn Hoops Fan Account (@aubawn) May 31, 2019
While his 3-point percentages didn’t look great, he only shot a 3-pointer in five of his 29 games as a freshman and shot 63.2 percent from inside the arc.
Franklin’s good decision making doesn’t only apply to shooting. He averaged 2.0 assists to only 1.7 turnovers and only had one game with more than three turnovers.
He also made a big impact when it came to rebounding. As a freshman, Franklin grabbed seven or more rebounds in 20 of 29 games and had 10 or more rebounds in nine games. More specifically, he had 15 rebounds against Arkansas Baptist and 18 rebounds against Pearl River.
Franklin averaged 2.9 offensive rebounds per game as a freshman and in 12 of 29 games and brought down four or more offensive rebounds, including nine against Arkansas Baptist and eight against EMCC.
He should provide a boost to the Tigers by giving Auburn another non-center who can rebound, and he’s also a player who can make an impact on the defensive end through steals and blocks. He averaged 1.0 steal per game and 2.5 blocks per game and finished his freshman season having eight games with four or more blocks.
Franklin seems like a player who can contribute with or without scoring, something that Auburn will be missing with the departures of Chuma Okeke, Horace Spencer and former JUCO standout Malik Dunbar.
He will likely be a versatile presence on the perimeter and post on both ends of the court once he returns to full health. He also seems like a good fit with the Tigers’ current, versatile set of wings and forwards.
Franklin’s highlights show him catching lobs, blocking shots and being able to drive to the basket, while his stats suggest he’s a playmaker who can hold his own on the perimeter.
Bruce Pearl has had a lot of luck with JUCO additions during his time at Auburn, and Franklin could join J’Von McCormick as another player who finds a way to thrive in the Tigers’ system.