Clemson basketball: Is Max Klesmit the next inbound transfer?

Mar 10, 2021; Greensboro, North Carolina, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Brad Brownell yells at an official as his team plays the Miami Hurricanes during the second half in the second round of the 2021 ACC tournament at Greensboro Coliseum. The Miami Hurricanes won 67-64. Mandatory Credit: Nell Redmond-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 10, 2021; Greensboro, North Carolina, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Brad Brownell yells at an official as his team plays the Miami Hurricanes during the second half in the second round of the 2021 ACC tournament at Greensboro Coliseum. The Miami Hurricanes won 67-64. Mandatory Credit: Nell Redmond-USA TODAY Sports /
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As we’ve discussed in this space previously Clemson basketball is not adverse to the transfer portal.

In fact, we’d argue that the portal has been the most productive recruiting tool that Brad Brownell has utilized in recent years.

Yes, there are very productive players on the court like P.J. Hall and Hunter Tyson that aren’t transfers, but it’s clear history shows a significant amount of the Tigers production has come from transfers.

To that end the Tigers just reeled in Jaelin Llewellyn, a graduate transfer from Princeton to fill one of the three guard spots that have recently opened up with the transfers of Nick Honor and Al-Amir Dawes and the end of eligibility for David Collins.

Those three accounted for around 2,600 minutes last season and that’s a lot to fill, but Llewellyn, incoming freshman Chauncey Gibson and returning guards Chase Hunter and Alex Hemenway are a good start.

Still it seems like one more productive guard to share more of those minutes would be a good thing and I’ve speculated as much.

On Wednesday evening this popped up on Twitter and appears to show Clemson in the final four for Wofford transfer Max Klesmit.

Klesmit, who has three years of eligibility remaining, started all 31 games for the Terriers in 2021-22, and was an iron man, playing nearly 1,000 minutes (31.8 minutes per game), averaging 14.9 points and 2.8 rebounds per game, with 60 assists and 50 steals, while shooting 34% from three.

The 6’3 Klesmit would seem to fit the Tigers recent trend of going bigger at the guard position recently as we’ve indicated appears to be the strategy Brownell is employing.

If you’re interested in such things here’s some tape:

Klesmit has heard from over 25 teams, so for Clemson to be in his final four is an accomplishment in itself.

For those who are curious, Klesmit started and played 26 minutes when Clemson defeated Wofford 76-68 last November, scoring 10 points on 3 of 8 shooting (0-3 on threes) before fouling out.

There’s no word on a decision time frame for Klesmit, but the fact that he’s putting the above on social media makes you wonder if this decision is close.