Report Cards: Clemson

Kendall Marshall:

Stat Line: 5 pts, 5 ast, 3 TO, 1-3 FG, 3-4 FT

Grade: B.  Kendall had a productive first start, and he clearly makes his teammates better.  He's also shown over the past few games that he's reliable from the FT line, and this is huge since he's the guy with the ball in his hands late in games.  He also has seemingly put the idea that he can't defend to bed.  But, Kendall still makes some silly mistakes, but he's a smart kid, and will imporve. 

Dexter Strickland: 

Stat Line: 4 pts, 2 rebs, 2-7 FG

Grade: C.  In transition, Dexter is dynamite.  But, in a traditional half court setting, his lack of confidence in his shot really hurts the offense, especially the front court.  Dexter has to find a niche in the half court offense, or I'm afraid you'll see his minutes diminish.  I see him falling into the Marcus Ginyard role, where he has the mythical defensive stopper tag, and provides literally nothing on the offensive end.

Harrison Barnes:

Stat Line: 13 pts, 6 rebs, 6 TO, 4-9 FG

Grade: B-.  The only reason Harrison doesn't get a C is the big three he hit with five minutes left.  Harrison is a scorer in the traditional sense.  His jumper isn't quite falling at the rate everybody hoped it would, but he has shown that he can hit a big time shot when he needs to.  But, his ballhandling is ugly.  Six turnovers tonight, and he hasn't been able to translate his movement to the basketball from the high school level.  I think the length of the college game causes him some issues, and he needs to rectify that before he becomes the elite talent he can be.

John Henson:

Stat Line: 14 pts, 8 rebs, 5 blocks, 2 ast, 7-12 FG

Grade: A.  John was a monster tonight, especially on the defensive end.  Not only did he have five blocks, he also held Jerai Grant, a guy that's been averaging 13 ppg, to two points, on 1-12 from the field.  Henson's length is his biggest asset, and he used it to great effect tonight.  

Tyler Zeller:

Stat Line: 11 pts, 7 rebs, 3 blocks, 3-5 FG, 5-6 FT

Grade: B.  I want Tyler to be dominant, I really do.  I think he can be, but his hands are made of cinder blocks.  His inability to cleanly catch the basketball really hampers his ability to get good shots off, and he's shown that the double down really flusters him.  Tonight, Zeller mishandled a great pass that would have led to a dunk or layup, and the ball rolled off his foot for a TO.  Then, a Clemson double team lead to a 60 yard Hail Mary into the 15th row.  But, Zeller did play well on the defensive end, recording three blocks.  He also made good from the free throw line and rebounded well, and that's why he's not in the C range.  

Reggie Bullock:

State Line: 18 pts, 5 rebs, 2 ast, 6-10 FG, 3-7 3pt, 3-4 FT

Grade: A.  Welcome to the show, big fella!  Reggie showed up tonight, scoring 16 first half points, knocking down three from beyond the arc.  Defensively, Reggie also showed that his knee issue can be overcome by his length at the SG position, grabbing three rebounds, and using that length to bother the Clemson perimeter players.  I hope the isn't an aberration, and we keep seeing this Reggie.  

Larry Drew:

Stat Line: 8 pts, 4 rebs, 1 ast, 2 TO, 4-8 FG

Grade: B+.  I thought Larry showed heart and class tonight.  The kid had his starting spot taken by a freshman, after weeks of being hounding by the fans, and he came out and played very well.  It would have been easy for Larry to mail it in, and sulk.  But, he stepped up, and I caught a glimpse of what he's capable of.  During the second half, Larry penetrated hard from the top of the key, slammed on the brakes, went behind his back, and buried a 16-ft jumper.  Larry still struggles to get the offense started, but I think if he gets more minutes as the SG, we'll see him start to put up better numbers.  I personally don't think Larry is a PG, I think he's better suited to play the off-guard.  We'll see how that's used down the road.

Justin Knox:

Stat Line: 1 pt, 4 rebs, 0-3 FG

Grade: C.  Knox didn't have a great game tonight, though he doesn't necessarily need to.  He was fairly inconspicuous tonight, and I honestly don't have much to say about him.  He wasn't good, he wasn't terrible.