2019 NBA Draft Prospect Profile: Chris Clemons

Let’s evaluate 2019 NBA Draft prospect Chris Clemons out of Campbell, and whether or not, he is a potential fit for the Portland Trail Blazers.

Name: Chris Clemons

School: Campbell

Position: Point Guard

Projected Draft Position: Late Second Round/Undrafted

The 2019 NBA Draft is now only two months away, and the college basketball season is officially over. So, it is a perfect time to start evaluating some prospects.

Let’s start with Campbell’s Chris Clemons.

Strengths

Scoring

Clemons is third all-time in scoring for NCAA division one basketball. He amassed 3,225 points in his four years at Campbell. He finished his senior season with a career-high 30.1 points per game, so scoring is definitely a strength for Clemons.

Clemons can score at all three levels. He converted on 56.9% of his two-point attempts during this past season, and while career his three-point percentage of 36.3% does not particularly stand out, his career 85.2% free-throw shooting highlights how good of a shooter he truly is.

Athleticism

Despite his height, Clemons has a 44 inch vertical, and that helps him finish at the rim over larger defenders.

Clemons has the vertical and explosion of a lottery prospect, and that should help raise his stock with teams who are wary of his size.

Weaknesses

Size

I have already alluded to this, but the main negative against Clemons is his 5’9″ height. Although it has not limited him offensively, it will definitely limit him defensively. We saw teams exploit Isaiah Thomas defensively whenever he was on the floor, and the same thing might happen to Clemons. His athleticism should slightly help him, but this is a weakness that his team will have to live with.

Competition

Clemons is facing two major challenges when it comes to his draft stock. He is both undersized and from a small school. Although Clemons’s season was historic, skeptics will point to him playing in the Big South Conference. If he does go undrafted, summer league would be a perfect opportunity to prove his value against top level competition.

Potential Fit

Is he a fit for the Portland Trail Blazers? Possibly. Clemons could possibly go undrafted, and the Blazers could sign him to their summer league team. If Clemons exceeds expectations, he could provide point guard insurance behind Anfernee Simons if Seth Curry departs in free agency.