How Clemson's Top Transfer is Breathing Life Into the Lineup From The Bench

In their Wednesday night loss to Virginia Tech, Clemson basketball’s starters — outside of Carter Welling — came up dry. And it’s not the first time this has happened. But while the trend is disturbing, No. 20 Clemson has been fortunate to have a bench that can pick up the slack, and no one has picked up more than senior forward Nick Davidson.

In Clemson’s first 12 games of the season, Davidson started 10. But, since Dec. 12, when Davidson posted nine points in a win against South Carolina, he hasn’t started a game, coming off the bench in Clemson’s last 13.

It’s awfully curious, though. In 10 games as a starter, Davidson averaged 8.2 points. But since transitioning to Clemson’s sixth man, Davidson has averaged 10.5 points per game off the bench. It’s a display of Brad Brownell’s ability to maximize output from every player on his roster, and Davidson’s ability to bloom where he’s planted.

Against the Hokies, Davidson’s 16 points tied Ace Buckner’s total, while both trailed starter Carter Welling, who posted 19. But outside of Welling's dominant night, the four other starters — Jake Wahlin, RJ Godfrey, Jestin Porter and Dillon Hunter — combined for 12 points in 100 combined minutes on court. Cumulatively, those four guys shot 4-of-21 from the field (19%) and 1-of-5 from three (20%).

Nick Davidson and Ace Buckner combined for 32 points off the bench, shooting 77% and 66% from the field, respectively, keeping the Tigers within striking distance until late.

“He just, he compliments me very well, his style of play. So I'd say it's just been kind of growing,” Davidson said about his chemistry with fellow sparkplug Buckner.

But Brownell calling on bench reinforcements isn’t new. Against Stanford last week, Davidson and Buckner were the team's two highest scorers, with 16 and 11, respectively. The five starters against Stanford combined for 23, compared to the 27 between just Davidson and Buckner.

In January, Davidson rattled off 21 consecutive points off the bench against Boston College, ending the game with a team-high 25 points.

In a lineup defined by dispersed scoring, Davidson has become an integral part of the rotation. Beyond the reliability of his individual box scores, the energy of Brownell’s entire bench is anchored by Davidson — and that goes a long way when the second rotation has ground to make up.

“Nick has been humble enough to kind of come off the bench and be the guy,” Brownell said, “when I was doing the second unit, he was really the leader of the second unit. Just that just speaks to who he is as a person. I mean, he's a phenomenal young man. Can't say enough good things about him.”

His impact on the season thus far has been tremendous, even if his efforts against Virginia Tech ultimately fell short.