Clavell shines in NBA summer league debut

Justin Michael
July 1, 2017

Former Colorado State guard Gian Clavell made his professional debut with the Miami Heat in the NBA Orlando summer league Saturday morning.

Donning No. 53, instead of No. 3, which he wore at CSU, Clavell’s impact in the Heat’s offense and defense was easy to see. Miami lost the game to the Charlotte Hornets 74-64, but it was certainly not due to lack of effort from Clavell.  

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PHOTO: CSU Senior Gian Clavell brings the ball down the court against CSU Bakersfield on March 20, 2017 in the NIT Tournament. The Rams were defeated 81-63 which made this Clavell's last game as a Ram. (Elliott Jerge | Collegian)
Gian Clavell brings the ball down the court against CSU Bakersfield on March 20, 2017 in the NIT Tournament. The Rams were defeated 81-63 which made this Clavell’s last game as a Ram. (Elliott Jerge | Collegian)

The 2017 Mountain West Player of the Year led the Heat in scoring, finishing the game with 13 points, 8 rebounds and one assist. In total, Clavell shot 36 percent from the floor, making 5-of-14 field goal attempts.

Throughout the contest, Clavell displayed good vision on the floor, distributing the ball to open teammates and consistently creating scoring opportunity for both himself and his teammates. 

Though Clavell’s impact on the offensive end was obvious, his more subtle impact on the defensive end may have made a bigger impact on the game. 

In the statbook, Clavell only was given credit for one steal, which came in the first half. However, in the second half alone, Clavell’s tenacious defense forced the Hornets to commit a backcourt violation early in the third quarter.

Then in the fourth quarter, Clavell drew a charge under the hoop and on two separate occasions, forced a Hornets player to dribble the basketball off of themselves and out of bounds. 

Clavell’s minutes were not quite what he is accustomed to playing, as the former Ram guard was able to catch his breath every now and then, and did not have to play the entire game like he often would in Moby Arena. Clavell did see consistent action though, playing 25 of 40 minutes in Miami’s inaugural contest this summer. 

Clavell is not the only former Ram who will play in the summer league this year. Emmanuel Omogbo will play in the NBA Las Vegas summer league with the Golden State Warriors. 

Collegian sports director Justin Michael can be reached by email at jmichael@collegian.com or Twitter @JustinTMichael.