Clemson Men’s Basketball: Alex Hemenway’s lingering injury an issue

Alex Hemenway’s season was off to a great start.  Over the first 12 games of the Clemson men’s basketball season, he averaged over 32 minutes per game, shot 54.2% from the field, 50.0% from three-point range, and was on the cusp of averaging double figures (9.8 points per game).

Hemenway then missed the Tigers 13th game, an ACC win over Georgia Tech on the road with what was described as plantar fasciitis and was said to be day-to-day.

That didn’t sound too bad at the time, because the Tigers had 9 days off over Christmas, theoretically plenty of time to rest and heal.

Now, however, there appears to be some concern that the injury will linger and prevent Hemenway from contributing in the way he had in the first 12 games.

"“Obviously being off of it is going to be good, but I think this is going to be one of these lingering injuries all year that’s going to be a little bit of a challenge for us,” Brownell said."

What that means going forward is anyone’s guess.  Does it mean Hemenway will be limited to say 10 or 15 minutes a game?  Does it mean he won’t play at all for a stretch and then contribute minutes?

For the Georgia Tech game Hemenway’s absence meant freshman Dillon Hunter saw extended minutes and he performed well, scoring only two points, but contributing 4 assists and 0 turnovers in 23 minutes of action.

That also moved Chase Hunter from the point guard to the two-guard, putting additional pressure on him to score.

The Tigers have lived and died by the three early in the season and Hemenway is their best three point shooter, both literally and aesthetically.  For all intents and purposes Hemenway is a three-point specialist, with 75% of his field goals coming from outside the arc.

If it’s not a layup on a break or a back cut, for Hemenway it’s almost always a three-pointer.

Clemson Men’s Basketball didn’t miss Alex Hemenway against Georgia Tech, but moving forward his absence could be an issue

Clemson didn’t need the three-pointers against Georgia Tech, but it should be noted that they were 5 for 18 (27.8%) from deep in the game and obviously missed Hemenway’s touch.

Moving forward, as the opponents match up better inside with P.J. Hall and Hunter Tyson, Clemson is going to need to make threes to counterbalance the size disadvantage.

Chase Hunter has shot well (46.4%) from three point range himself, but more will be asked of him offensively moving forward.

The Tigers host North Carolina State Friday afternoon in Littlejohn Coliseum and it’ll be fascinating to see how Brownell adjust his personnel if Hemenway is out or limited and if Chase Hunter can handle the extra ask.