Painter’s Preview: Tiger Basketball Week 3
After a tough fought home win against a very underrated Eastern Kentucky team, the Tigers picked up their first loss of the season on the road against Boise State. Starting with the Eastern Kentucky Game, Clemson showcased a few weaknesses that led them to be down 54-50 at one point in the second half. However, a burst of spirit from Freshman Guard Del Jones off the bench started a 25-8 run in favor of Clemson to finish out the game. Transfer Center Victor Lahkin broke out against the smaller sized EKU finishing the game with 19 points and 12 rebounds, and he showed some hope that maybe he can help replace P.J. Hall. Chase Hunter also finished with 19 points, and he is having the best start of a season at any point of his career in year six (ESPN). The Tigers won 75-62, but there poor free throw shooting and turnovers looked to be a major weakness for this team.
Entering Idaho, I did not expect the Tigers to win this game because of the size of Boise State’s roster; however, I did not expect our squad to look as bad as it did. Outside of Chase Hunter, there was not many bright spots during the game for Clemson. Hunter finished the day with a career high 30 points, with 20 coming in the first half , and 6 assists (ESPN). His improved ability to shoot from three matched with his quick first step makes him one of the most dangerous players in the NCAA. I stated before the season that we would go as far as Chase Hunter takes us, but we saw his best effort against Boise State, a presumed Tournament Team, and we fell very short of victory losing 84-71. Clemson’s lack of weapons Offensively is concerning, and it is on the back of poor performances from Veteran Guard Jaeden Zackery and Veteran Forward Chauncey Wiggins. Zackery’s defensive ability is the best on the roster, but coming in from Boston College averaging over 10 pts/g, it was expected for him to be a viable option offensively (ESPN). His 9 pts/g average this season is still skewed from a 16 point performance against St. Francis (PA), and he has been ineffective when needed. Wiggins came into this season as a breakout candidate for the Tigers, but he has not stepped up into that role yet. This past two games, Wiggins is 3-18 from the field and fouled out against the Broncos (ESPN). Chauncey Wiggins’s 6’10 frame matched with his ability to shoot and dribble is perfect on paper, yet the Tigers have only reaped the harvest from that combination a couple times in his career. The lack of offensive options led the Tigers to shoot less than 35% as they fell in a terrible performance on the road.
Key Tiger Takeaways:
ACC POY?: Chase Hunter so far this season is playing out of his mind. Hunter is averaging almost 20 pts/g and has improved his three point shot which makes him a threat from every area of the court. As mentioned above, I thought that Hunter’s play would be the determining factor for Clemson’s success, but I was mistaken. His 30 point and 6 assist performance at Boise State led the Tigers to a 13 point loss because of the lack of production from the bench. Chase Hunter is proving that he can led us back to a successful season, but they are failing around him. Hunter is making a case for ACC POY early into the season and just because he is in a Clemson uniform, he will not get the recognition that he deserves.
No Offensive Options: The best way to describe the Tiger Offense currently is lost. Every time they have the ball, they seem lost in what they are trying to do. Outside of Chase Hunter, there are zero consistent options to score for Clemson. Forward Ian Schieffelin has struggled big the main concern for defenses down low, and P.J. Hall’s absence is hurting his production on the score sheet. Schieffelin has to learn to be productive even while being the main focus for Clemson to sustain wins. Center Victor Lahkin had a decent day at the office, finishing with 13 points and 4 rebounds, but his presence does not loo physical enough. Lahkin is unable to get consistent rebounds and is unable to back defenders into a position that is favored to score in. However, Lahkin is not expected to be P.J. Hall, and his 13 point performances are good enough play from him. On the arc, Clemson are struggled because of, as mentioned above, Jaeden Zackery and Chauncey Wiggins. Their poor play offensive cannot continue or changes need to be made. Potential changes can come from Transfer Guard Jake Heidbreder who has proved to be a promising scorer in his past at Air Force. Heidbreder missed his only two three-pointers in limited playing time today, but his 6’5 frame could replace Wiggins at the 3 if he continues to play bad. While Wiggins and Zackery have struggled, Clemson’s bench had only 8 total points against the Broncos compared to their 21 bench points (ESPN). The Tigers need someone to step up within the starting lineup beside Chase Hunter and on the bench before their season is over before it even starts.
Physicality: As mentioned a little bit when talking about Victor Lahkin, Clemson has no physicality within the paint outside of Ian Schieffelin. All three of the big man Transfers for Clemson have not showcased any sustained ability to rebound at all. Clemson struggled mightily against the Broncos big roster, getting outrebounded by 8 (ESPN). Lakhin finished with 4 rebounds, Myles Foster had 2, and Christian Reeves did not have any in his small amount of playing time. If Clemson’s big guys are not going to rebound, then the Tigers have to crash the boards from every position to ensure they do not give up second chances. Boise State got too many of these second chances, and Clemson got out manned down low. They need to get way more physical before ACC play starts.
Clemson’s Upcoming Game this Week:
Clemson plays Radford at home, November 21, 2024
The Radford Highlanders return to Littlejohn Coliseum after losing a big one 93-58 last season against the Tigers. Radford is currently 3-1 to start this season just like the Tigers, and their lost came on the road at Pittsburgh in embarrassing fashion, losing 96-56 (ESPN). The Highlanders lost 5 out of their top 6 scorers from last season; however, acquisitions from the Portal has gifted them their top scorers so far this season. Leading the Highlanders is Senior Transfer Guard Jarvis Moss who has averaged 21 points through their first four games this season. Moss is a former Stanford Cardinal and Davidson Wildcat, and he is just now starting to produce at an elite level (ESPN). Alongside Moss in the backcourt is Junior Transfer Guard Brandon Maclin from Odessa. Maclin averages about 12 points a game and also makes a difference with the boards averaging 6 rbs/g (ESPN). Behind these two, Radford trusted their depth from last season to improve, and beside the showing against Pittsburgh, they have. The Highlanders key players do not have a ton of height with the tallest player in their rotation being 6’8-6’9. Jarvis Moss will take a lot of threes, but outside of him, Radford does not depend heavily on scoring behind the arc. The Highlanders will attempt to exploit Clemson’s bad fouling so far this season as they try to get to the free throw line. Radford has gotten to the line at a good clip in each one of their wins, and they will come right at our Tigers out the gate. However, it is hard to see a world where Radford plays spoil against Clemson coming off of a loss. Clemson will use their size to dominant the boards and the paint. Chase Hunter will have another ACC POY worthy game, and the Tigers will win 88-67.