NBA draft prospect preview: Chris Clemons

The NBA Pre-Draft period has begun, as the Nuggets welcome their first batch of prospects.

This is a time that the true prospects separate from the rest of NBA Draft prospects, and underdogs start to form. An example of one of these underdogs is Chris Clemons, a 5′ 9″ point guard out of Campbell University.

He is a younger player, leaving after his sophomore year as a Camel, but his game is better than one may think. Clemons played in the Big South Conference, a mid-major conference in Division I Basketball. His team was only a win away from making it to the big dance, before they fell in the Big South Championship to Winthrop. The reason I’m saying this is that Campbell would not have been close without the play of Clemons.

He’s a scorer of sorts, getting it done at any spot on the court. When he gets hot, he CATCHES FIRE, and he seems unstoppable. An example of this type of performance came in a game against UNC Asheville, in the second round of the Big South Tournament. Campbell was only the seventh seed in the conference, and was expected to lose this game. Clemons thought otherwise, as he dropped 51 points on the Bulldogs in a shocking upset.

During his final season as a Camel, Clemons averaged about 25 points per game while shooting almost 45 percent from the field. The most surprising stat about him is that he also average over 4 and a half rebounds, standing at only 5′ 9″ (per sports-reference.com). This shows that he has athleticism, and isn’t afraid to fight for boards like anyone else.

While undersized, Chris Clemons brings a versatility and explosive game to the point guard position. The Nuggets would not have to spend a first round pick on him, in fact, he could be available late in the draft. He could be an intriguing and interesting experiment for a team to take a chance on. Who knows, Chris Clemons could be the next Isaiah Thomas.

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I actually had the privilege to watch Clemons play against my college’s basketball team, the Radford Highlanders. This was a game that was televised on ESPN, which is rare for Big South games, in the local Dedmon Center. The gym was packed full of Highlander fans, and it was a good atmosphere. How would Clemons respond to the setting?

He responded by playing absolute lights-out basketball. Clemons dropped 36 points with five rebounds on 13-24 shooting (per NCAA). However, his impact went farther than the stat-sheet will tell you. Watching him play, there was a sort of swagger and feeling of how great he was, and it was fun to watch. The highlight of the game was a play in which Clemons threw down a slam in a Radford defender’s face. It got me out of my seat, and I was cheering for the Highlanders. It was here that I became a Chris Clemons believer.

The Nuggets would not go after this guy early, as he is more of a late-draft pick. Chris Clemons could be an interesting project for a team late, and for a later pick, he could be worth a try. I can think of somebody else in Denver who was a late-round pick, what was his name again? Oh wait, I remember who it was.