When word leaked Sunday that Houston Rockets swingman Gerald Green could miss months with a broken left foot, speculation immediately swirled as to his potential rotation replacement.

Now 33 years old, the 6-foot-7 wing has averaged 10.3 points (36.0% on three-pointers) in 21.1 minutes per game with the Rockets over the past two seasons. That led many to believe that 6-foot-5 guard Ben McLemore, a former 2013 NBA Draft lottery pick who signed with Houston in July, could easily be Green’s drop-in bench replacement. After all, they appear to have similar body types and skillsets.

But in speaking with local media at Monday’s practice, Mike D’Antoni made it clear that while McLemore is an option, he’s not the only option. Houston’s head coach cited McLemore, veteran Thabo Sefolosha, more minutes for Austin Rivers, and even rookie guard Chris Clemons all as options to compensate for Green’s absence.

Coach D'Antoni on who will take Gerald Green's spot in the rotation: "Austin (Rivers) would get more minutes. Ben (McLemore) could be. Thabo (Sefolosha) could be. Chris Clemons could be. There's some guys, (but) we're still working that out." #Rockets — Alykhan Bijani (@Rockets_Insider) October 14, 2019

Making matters more interesting, at Monday’s practice, Clemons ran through drills with Houston’s established second-teamers such as Rivers, Danuel House Jr., and Tyson Chandler.

McLemore, on the other hand, worked with a third unit comprised largely of young players such as Shamorie Ponds, Gary Clark, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Jaron Blossomgame that are unlikely to land immediate rotation roles with the Rockets.

Sefolosha was not an active participant Monday, though with D’Antoni referring to Sefolosha as a power forward in training camp and Ryan Anderson as a center, it seems likely that Sefolosha would have replaced Anderson on that second unit, rather than Clemons.

Seems as there are 3 units. In black- the starters (Gordon over House). In white- the backups (Clemos (!), Rivers, House, Ryno, Chandler) In Green- the 3rd stringers (Ponds, McLemore, Clark, Hartenstein, Blossomgame). Prazier probably still hurt. https://t.co/ffprzNzGal — Play Gary Clark (NBA (@Itamar1710) October 14, 2019

Clemons played in college at Campbell University, where he was the NCAA’s top scorer in the 2018-19 season at 30.1 points per game and is the third-highest scorer in D1 college basketball history. According to Basketball-Reference, Clemons’ offensive win shares (6.1) ranked second-best among all college players last season, while his player efficiency rating (33.0) was Top 10 in the country.

Yet, primarily due to his small 5-foot-9 frame, the guard went undrafted in the June 2019 NBA Draft. The Rockets picked Clemons up as an undrafted free agent, and he quickly turned heads by averaging a team-best 20.8 points per game (43.1% on 3s) in five Summer League contests in July. Houston went 3-2 in those games.

In an exclusive July interview from Summer League, Clemons spoke with RocketsWire to explain his journey to the NBA; his skillset; the feedback he has received to this point; and much more.

Then in August, Clemons began earning more trust during an unofficial team minicamp. “He’s really winning over the veterans in LA [Los Angeles],” Rockets GM Daryl Morey said in late August. “He’s got a skill that is already NBA ready in terms of shooting. His attacking the basket is actually very good as well.”

That production has carried over into the preseason, in which Clemons has scored 13.3 points in just 18.5 minutes per game. In exhibition games last week in Japan, it raised eyebrows when Clemons received first-half minutes with many rotation regulars.

Rookie Chris Clemons getting some first-half minutes again, this time with the Rockets backcourt at full strength. He obviously has made an impression as he seeks a roster spot. https://t.co/aHyXGbZ6YY — Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) October 10, 2019

At 5-foot-9, Clemons wouldn’t seem to be a drop-in replacement for a lanky wing such as Green. But if he proves worthy of playing time, then Rivers — Houston’s usual backup point guard — is long enough at 6-foot-4 to where a Clemons/Rivers backcourt might be feasible, with Sefolosha and House as forward options for the bench unit.

The Rockets host San Antonio on Wednesday and travel to Miami on Friday to wrap up their preseason slate before their 2019-20 regular season begins next Thursday versus Milwaukee. Those two exhibitions could be critical as D’Antoni attempts to finalize his rotation and replace minutes that were expected to go to Green.

It would certainly be premature to consider Clemons a favorite in that competition, especially because it’s hard for any rookie — let alone an undrafted one — to land an immediate rotation role on an NBA title contender. But heading into Houston’s final two preseason games, it’s becoming more clear that the undersized rookie is already bucking the odds and has a very real opportunity ahead of him.