ACC Basketball: Breakout candidates from each team for 2020-21 season

ACC Basketball breakout candidate – Alex Hemenway (Clemson)

Although struggling on the road, the Tigers last year still built themselves back up as a dangerous team, giving the best ACC teams some trouble last year, even defeating Florida State, Louisville, and Duke. Helping out once recovering from an ankle injury, Alex Hemenway brought some much-needed shooting to Clemson’s offensive attack. Barring any further injures, an encore season with more even productivity and consistency likely awaits Hemenway.

Even during his shortened freshmen year, Hemenway earned his team’s respect shooting an even 50% from the field. Only three other ACC players secured a higher shooting percentage, and no other player beat his 47.6 3P% mark. Although his injury-shortened season disqualified him from earning the titles which typically come with each statistical category, Clemson fans and coach Brownell now know how effectively he plays, which remains the more important fact for next year.

Hemenway’s best game last year came against Notre Dame when he scored 16 points, hitting four three-pointers while building a 62.5 field goal percentage. Hemenway also made his presence known after quickly hitting 3/6 shots from beyond the arc during his brief, 22-minute stint on the floor while playing against Virginia Tech.

Teams always value three-point shooting especially when efficiency comes alongside it and based on his track record, no player offers a better and more reliable supply than Hemenway. Certainly, with the potential to become the ACC’s most dominant three-point threat, look out for the Tigers to turn to Hemenway more often than one might expect at this point.