Rookie guard Chris Clemons started his 2019-20 preseason slate by picking up right where he left off in NBA Summer League play, scoring 21 points (7/16 FG) and dishing four assists in just 18 minutes in Houston’s 140-71 win in the Monday opener versus Shanghai.
Clemons played in college at Campbell University, where he was the NCAA’s top scorer in the 2018-19 season at 30.1 points per game and is the third-highest scorer in D1 college basketball history. According to Basketball-Reference, Clemons’ offensive win shares (6.1) ranked second-best among all college players last season, while his player efficiency rating (33.0) was Top 10.
Yet, primarily due to his small 5-foot-9 frame, the guard went undrafted in the June 2019 NBA Draft. The Rockets picked Clemons up as an undrafted free agent, and he quickly turned heads by averaging a team-best 20.8 points per game (43.1% on 3s) in five Summer League games in July. Houston went 3-2 in those games.
His highlights from Monday’s 69-point preseason victory by the Rockets can be viewed here, including five made three-pointers:
“He’s really winning over the veterans in LA [Los Angeles] this week,” Rockets GM Daryl Morey said of the rookie in late August, right after Clemons spent a week with Houston’s veterans in an unofficial team minicamp. “He’s got a skill that is already NBA ready in terms of shooting. His attacking the basket is actually very good as well.”
In an exclusive July interview from Summer League, Clemons spoke with RocketsWire to explain his journey to the NBA; his skillset; the feedback he has received to this point; and much more.
