By Hale McGranahan.

For the folks looking to get their live hoops fix, the Clemson basketball team opens the 2014-15 season with an exhibition against Anderson.

Here’s what we’ll be looking for in Littlejohn Coliseum on Saturday a 5 p.m.

Life after K.J.

Back when K.J. McDaniels signed up to play college ball for Brad Brownell, who would have thought that he would leave Clemson as one of the best players in school history?

After improving every year he spent at Clemson, that’s exactly what happened. And, despite the Philadelphia 76ers’ inauspicious start, McDaniels has drawn high praise for his play over the first six games of his NBA career, averaging almost 10 points and two blocked shots per game.

Back in Tigertown, Brownell is in the midst of figuring out how to move without McDaniels, last season’s ACC Defensive Player of the Year and All-ACC first-team media selection.

The five guys in the projected starting five are a good place to start.

Rod Hall, one of McDaniels’ fellow class of 2011 signees, will be among the marquee players on this year’s team. Hall provides a cool, steady presence who isn’t afraid to attack get into the lane and score. From our end, Hall could be a little more vocal and the floor and a little more willing to shoot the ball from long-range, compared to what we’ve seen over the last three years.

His backcourt mate, Damarcus Harrison, was one of the most improved shooters in the ACC last season. In order for Clemson to have a shot at making the NCAA Tournament, Harrison will have to match and exceed the level of play he reached down the stretch last season, when he looked like the Tigers’ best player on the floor.

Donte Grantham, who we have penciled in as the guy to take over at McDaniels’ starting spot, is probably the best prospect that Brownell has signed. At this stage in his career, Grantham’s offensive skill set far exceeds McDaniels, so  expectations are fairly high for the West Virginia native.

Back to the power forward spot is Jaron Blossomgame, who’s in position for the title as the team’s heart and soul — that’s assuming he doesn’t have it already. Blossomgame may be a little under-sized for the four-position, but he’s got to be up there as one of the hardest workers you’ll find in the ACC. Look for Blossomgame to knock down the 3-point shot with more consistency this season since. It’s an area he put a lot of work into during the offseason.

If Landry Nnoko takes another sizeable step in the right direction this season, he could be in consideration as one of the top centers in the ACC. With an improving back to the basket repertoire on offense, Nnoko will  be one of the league’s more feared shot blockers on the other end of the floor.

We’d be remise if sixth-man Jordan Roper and Austin Ajukwa, who’s competing for McDaniels’ starting spot, weren’t mentioned. Roper will chip in with ball handling duties and counted on as a shooter from the outside. Ajukwa proved to be the most pleasant surprise, providing a reliable option off the bench during last season’s stretch run.

Bigs’ development

As a freshman, Nnoko played just 6.6 minutes per game, averaging a point and 1.4 rebounds. Over those 31 contests, he blocked nine shots. A starter in 34 of the 35 games he appeared in as a sophomore, Nnoko averaged 6.5 points and 6.2 rebounds in 28.1 minutes. He also blocked 69 shots.

To say that Nnoko took a big step would be a bit of an understatement.

Now, heading into year three, the Cameroon native is poised to make another noticeable jump. Though offseason knee surgery slowed him down a little bit, the Clemson staff believes Nnoko’s shown enough work ethic to give himself a chance to average double figures in points and rebounds this season.

Sidy Djitte, who hails from Senegal, had a similar kind of first season to Nnoko. Djitte played limited minutes (8.9) while averaging 1.1 points and 2.7 rebounds. Though his progression from year one to year two may not necessarily be as significant as Nnoko’s, it’s probably safe to say that Djitte will show signs of improvement.

Credit associate head coach Mike Winiecki for that assumption. Since arriving to Clemson with Brownell in 2010, Winiecki has gotten a lot out of the Tigers big men, including Jerai Grant, Devin Booker and Bobo Baciu.

Just how much Josh Smith adds to the post is to be determined, because he’s been dealing with back issues through much of the 2014 calendar year. While he may not add much, in terms of box score numbers, Smith has carved out a niche as a guy who’s more than willing to do the little things inside the painted area. Plus, he’s got pretty nice touch on mid-range jumpers.

The freshmen

By guiding Clemson to the NIT Final a season ago, Brownell managed to silence many of his critics, so did signing Grantham.

According to some, Brownell couldn’t competitively recruit at the high-major level, but the Tigers’ head coach managed to fight off some of the nation’s premier programs for Grantham, who was the No. 75 ranked prospect in the country, according to Rivals.

UConn, Michigan, Texas and West Virginia were among the schools that wanted to Grantham to come play ball for them, and for good reason. Grantham is a skilled forward who will immediately contribute on the perimeter. As he grows and adjusts to this level of hoops, so will his effectiveness from the low-post.

Fellow 2014 signee Gabe DeVoe can get buckets, lots of buckets. A Parade All-American at Shelby High School in North Carolina, DeVoe averaged 34 points per game as a senior. Listed at 6-3, 200 pounds, DeVoe is physically ready to play. However, exactly how much he’ll play this season will depend on how well he can pick things up on the defensive end.

Some of the same can be said for Patrick Rooks, the redshirt freshman who sat out all of last season with a hip injury. Rooks is probably the best pure shooter on the team, but he too must adapt to the demands of playing defense for Brownell. At the start of preseason practice, Rooks also had some catching up to do, in terms of strength and physical condition.