Five Former Tigers Set to Begin Play in NBA Summer League

Five former members of the Clemson Tigers are taking the next steps to make an NBA roster for the 2025-26 season.

Former Clemson Tigers forward Hunter Tyson enters his third season with the Denver Nuggets. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

We’re in the stage of the NBA calendar when the Summer League begins. Fans can catch a first look of their rookie class while seeing progression from younger players that don’t often see the floor.

For the Clemson Tigers, five former players will look to earn roster spots on five different rosters in forward Hunter Tyson, center PJ Hall, guard Chase Hunter, center Viktor Lakhin and forward Jack Clark.

The full NBA Summer League schedule can be found here.

F Hunter Tyson, Denver Nuggets

Tyson enters his third year in the league with the same team that acquired him on draft night, now playing in his third Summer League.

The forward took the campaign by storm in the 2023 offseason, averaging 20.8 points and six rebounds in five games played with the Nuggets, earning him an All-Summer League First Team honor to earn his place in Denver. In 2024, Tyson remained productive, averaging 15.2 points and 4.6 rebounds. 

The Gastonia, North Carolina, native earned an All-ACC First Team selection in his final season at Clemson with averages of 15.5 points and 9.5 rebounds.

Denver travels to Milwaukee on Thursday at 9:30 p.m.

C PJ Hall, Charlotte Hornets

After a rookie two-way season with the Denver Nuggets, Hall will seek another opportunity in Charlotte.

While the second-year player didn’t see much time in Denver, the Spartanburg, South Carolina, native was productive in the G-League with the Grand Rapids Gold, recording 19.2 points and 12.5 rebounds across 13 games. 

Hall spent the summer with Tyson, his former teammate, and the Nuggets a season ago in the Summer League, where he recorded 11.8 points and 6.5 rebounds across four games of the campaign. 

The center notched an All-ACC First Team honor in 2023-24 for the Tigers while earning an All-ACC Third Team selection the season before. 

Charlotte hosts Utah on Friday at 7 p.m.

G Chase Hunter, New Orleans Pelicans

Hunter is one of two players from this past season’s Clemson squad to find themselves on a Summer League roster from an Exhibit 10 deal with the Pelicans. 

A six-year player with the Tigers, Hunter’s final season was his best with Clemson, notching an All-ACC First Team selection from a season of averaging 16.5 points and 2.5 assists, shooting over 40% from three-point range. 

Hunter’s deal will allow him to remain with New Orleans if the organization chooses to do so, which will have a lot to do with how he performs in the Summer League over the next few weeks. 

New Orleans plays Minnesota on Thursday at 3:30 p.m.

C Viktor Lakhin, Oklahoma City Thunder

Lakhin went undrafted in the 2025 NBA Draft but was able to be picked up by the reigning NBA champions for the Summer League this month. 

In his lone season at Clemson, Lakhin averaged 11.4 points and 6.4 rebounds, recording 50 blocks over the season. 

The center will look to make waves in the offseason campaign this July, where he will attempt to join an Oklahoma City squad with outstanding production. 

Lakhin did not play in the Thunder's 92-80 loss to Memphis on July 5. Oklahoma City is currently facing Philadelphia on ESPN at the time of publishing.

F Jack Clark, Philadelphia 76ers

While Clark spent last season with VCU, he played a key role with the Tigers in their Elite Eight run in the 2023-24 season, starting in 17 of 25 games that year. 

A key defensive piece in that run, which was the first time the team reached that stage in the NCAA Tournament since 1980, the Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, native aims to find an NBA spot on his hometown team in Philadelphia. 

Clark did not play in the 76ers' 93-89 loss to the Jazz on July 5. Philadelphia is currently playing Oklahoma City on ESPN at the time of publishing.