From Chris Clemons to TJ Warren, how Triangle high school players are faring in the NBA
North Carolina has always been well represented in the NBA and it’s easy to argue that the state produces some of the best basketball players in the country.
This season, there is no shortage of players from Wake, Johnston and Durham County high schools on NBA rosters. According to basketballreference.com, there are currently 30 players in the NBA from North Carolina.
This list ranges from rookies to all-stars. Here’s a look at those players from Triangle high schools.
PJ Tucker, Enloe
Tucker is in his third year with the Houston Rockets, his third NBA team after bouncing around overseas after leaving Texas in 2006. One of the best defenders in the game, Tucker has started 158 games for Houston. He’s second on the team in steals and rebounds.
John Wall, Garner Broughton and Word of God
Wall hasn’t played this season as he recovers from a torn Achilles. The five-time All-Star appeared in 32 games last season for the Washington Wizards and has career averages of 19 points and nine assists per game in nine seasons in D.C.
Wall was All-NBA in 2016-17, on the all-Defensive team in 2014-15 and all-rookie team in 2010-11. He played one season at Kentucky before he was the No. 1 pick in the 2010 NBA draft.
Devonte Graham, Broughton
In his second season with the Charlotte Hornets, Graham might be in the running for the NBA Most Improved Player Award.
In his rookie season Graham split his time with the Hornets and their G-League team, the Greensboro Swarm. This season he has started 35 games, averaging a team-high 18.6 points, a 13.9 ppg increase from his rookie season. He also leads the team in assists (7.7) and is second in steals. Graham played four seasons at Kansas and made a trip to the Final Four as a senior.
TJ Warren, Riverside
In his first year with the Indiana Pacers, Warren is averaging 17.8 points per game, shooting 51 percent from the floor and 37 percent from three. In six seasons in the NBA, Warren, who played at N.C. State from 2012-14, has averaged 14.9 points in 305 career-games.
He has started all 44 games for the Pacers this season, who are coached by Raleigh native Nate McMillian. Warren played five seasons in Phoenix before he was traded to the Pacers last summer.
Chris Clemons, Millbrook
Clemons is in his first year with the Houston Rockets. After going undrafted in 2019, Clemons joined Houston’s summer league roster. He signed a 10-day contract with the team in October and made his NBA debut on Nov. 3, scoring 16 points against the Miami Heat. Two days after Christmas, Houston announced Clemons’ contract would be converted into a standard NBA contract.
The former Campbell point guard has appeared in 24 games for the Rockets, averaging 5.5 points.
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Jerome Robinson, Broughton
Robinson, Graham’s teammate at Broughton, is in his second year with the L.A. Clippers. Robinson has appeared in 69 career games, averaging 3.3 points. The former lottery pick who played three seasons at Boston College, scored a career-high 21 points against Atlanta in November.
Gary Clark, Clayton
Clark started the season in Houston with Tucker and Clemons, but was waived by the Rockets on Jan. 7. Seven days later Clark signed a 10-day contract with the Orlando Magic.
In four games with Orlando, Clark, who played four seasons at Cincinnati, has averaged 3.3 points per game. He appeared in 69 games with the Rockets before being waived.
This story was originally published January 24, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "From Chris Clemons to TJ Warren, how Triangle high school players are faring in the NBA."
