Clemson's Former Sharpshooter Has Signed Deal with Past NBA Champions

One of Clemson's former guards has signed a deal with an NBA champion to try and earn a spot on the roster going forward.

Mar 24, 2024; Memphis, TN, USA; Clemson Tigers guard Joseph Girard III (11) celebrates after defeating the Baylor Bears in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at FedExForum / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Clemson is coming off an incredible basketball season that saw them make a magical run to the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament that tied their previous best result. The Tigers have only made the tournament 14 times in their history, and under current head coach Brad Brownell, they have gone four times.

One player who was important to the success this team had last year was Joe Girard.

Getting him from the transfer portal, the graduate senior brought in 1,652 career points, 445 assists, and a staggering 297 three-pointers on 36.3 percent shooting from that distance.

Adding someone with his amount of experience was supposed to give the Tigers a veteran presence in the backcourt who could hit big shots and deliver the ball to their interior guys while running the offense.

Girard was able to do just that and put together solid final season with 15.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game, while shooting 41.3 from three.

While his performance wasn't enough to get him drafted by an NBA team, he's been given an opportunity to play his way onto a roster at the professional level by signing a Summer League contract with the Toronto Raptors.

Logo Joe ➡️ The 6ix@JG3_____ will sign with the @Raptors for Summer League! pic.twitter.com/IUq0O6vlkh

— Clemson Basketball (@ClemsonMBB) June 28, 2024

The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Summer League competitions start July 6 at the California Classic in Sacramento and San Francisco. Teams will play games there from July 6-7, 9-10, while the Salt Lake City Summer League takes place from July 8-10.

All of that culminates in the major one that happens in Las Vegas from July 12-22.

The Raptors don't take place an any of the competitions before the one in Las Vegas.

Girard is hoping to bring the same level of shooting he showcased throughout his entire collegiate career, and especially at Clemson during his final year when he set the program's single-season mark for made three-pointers with 105, so he can make a roster.