For Clemson to take that next step forward in the NCAA Tournament, the Tigers need to figure out who their primary ball-handler will be. If Dillon Hunter is eligible to return for a fifth season at Clemson, it will obviously be the veteran point guard. However, with his status for this upcoming season still in limbo, that leaves it up to debate who Brad Brownell can trust to run his offense.
With the season coming up, here is who CBS Sports' Isaac Trotter projects as Clemson's starting five.
- Guard: Ace Buckner or Dillon Hunter (if eligible)
- Guard: Cole Certa
- Guard/Forward: Liutauras Lelevicius
- Forward: David Fuchs
- Forward: Dylan Faulkner
While Trotter feels confident about Cole Certa, Liutauras Lelevicius, David Fuchs, and Dylan Faulkner rounding out the starting five, it is interesting that he has Ace Bucker, or Hunter if he is eligible to play, ahead of Zac Foster for the starting point guard job. Foster and forward Carter Welling are working their way back from injury. It should be noted that Harris Reynolds is coming in with a ton of promise.
Clearly, Brownell will need to sort out his backcourt rotation sooner rather than later.
Harris Reynolds could be what elevates Clemson's backcourt rotation
In theory, Hunter would win this job if he were eligible to return. He averaged 7.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, and a team-high 3.0 assists per game last year as a fourth-year player. This will be Buckner's third year with the program, Foster's second, and Reynolds' first. The ideal trio of Hunter, Buckner, and Foster could make Clemson especially deep in the backcourt, especially if Reynolds takes flight.
While much will be made about Buckner's ascension, Foster's injury, and Hunter's eligibility, Reynolds comes in after having just led St. Pius X Catholic in Atlanta to a perfect 33-0 season and state championship, the Golden Lions' first state title in some 68 years. He picked Clemson over Virginia Tech, Texas A&M, Saint Louis, South Florida, and VCU out of high school. Reynolds may be special.
What this comes down to is how good Reynolds can be right away, as well as whether Buckner and/or Foster can help close the gap between themselves and Hunter, assuming the veteran point guard out of Westlake cannot play at all this winter. In a best-case scenario, Clemson may have one of the best backcourts in the ACC. As for the worst case, nobody is ready to take the baton from Hunter just yet.
At this time, Clemson should feel great about its chances of making the NCAA Tournament for the fourth year in a row under Brownell's guidance. Over the last four years, he has given this historically underperforming program some serious bite by raising its floor. Brownell reinvented himself after a down decade in the 2010s with a hot start to the 2020s. This is why nailing this rotation has to matter.
For now, Brownell has a good problem to solve, one that could improve even more if Hunter is eligible.
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