CLEMSON – The Clemson basketball season is less than a week away, and the Tigers will give a sneak peek into their team in an exhibition Wednesday against Newberry College.

This is the first time we’ll see the 2023-24 team in completion. With a lot of fresh faces on the Clemson roster and returning stars, here’s what to watch for from Brad Brownell’s team in Littlejohn Coliseum.

Enter Joseph Girard III

After losing one of their starters in Brevin Galloway, Girard is the replacement to flank Chase Hunter for the Tigers backcourt. The Syracuse transfer averaged 16.4 points last year, and now he’s the sharpshooter in Clemson.

He averaged almost three made shots from behind the arc last season, and has shot at least 38% from there for two years. Add in the loss of Hunter Tyson to the NBA, and there’s a lot of slack for Girard to pick up as a scorer.

We’ve heard a lot about the pair of Girard and Hunter sharing the ball-handling duties, and this is the first look we’ll get it at before the season.

PJ Hall evolving his role

During his NBA Combine experience, the 6-foot-10 center was taking pull-up three-pointers and not shying away as a ball-handler. It’s safe to expect he won’t be doing that often from Brownell’s comments, but we may see a different Hall this year.

The preseason first-team All-ACC star shot 39.8% from three last year, so it is safe to say Hall get more opportunity to do so in his senior season.

Where we could see a lot of difference is on the defensive end. Brownell has challenged his star as a rebounder and defender. Given the expectations of the man defense Clemson runs, Hall has to take the next step defending multiple positions and rebounding. Taking on a presumably outmatched opponent, we’ll see if he can set the tone on both ends.

Who will rise on the vocal side?

Last season, Tyson was the most vocal on the team on multiple fronts. It wasn’t just as a leader, but the swagger he played with. Who that will be for the Tigers in 2023 is yet to be seen.

There’s a good chance it could be Hall, but the players have emphasized how it’s been a “by committee” mindset as leaders. We’ll see if it pays off.