Former UConn Star, No. 7 Pick Scores Career-High 13 In Trail Blazers Loss
When Donovan Clingan took the floor for the Portland Trail Blazers this past Sunday, a familiar foe wearing a Memphis Grizzlies uniform awaited Clingan.
That adversary happened to be former Purdue center Zach Edey, whom Clingan last battled in the 2024 NCAA National Championship game.
Clingan was more than up for the task on Sunday, as he scored a career-high 13 points for the Trail Blazers, albeit in a loss.
Clingan added three rebounds, one block, and one steal to his stat sheet in 17 minutes of action.
Edey finished with 12 points, six rebounds, and an impressive four steals for the Grizzlies.
Clingan and Edey are bound to be compared to one another for the rest of their NBA careers, and both players have delivered thus far.
Clingan has improved steadily over the first month of the season, although he’s receiving less opportunity than Edey in Memphis.
Still, it’s notable that Portland has prioritized keeping Clingan in the rotation as the backup center behind Deandre Ayton. Clingan hasn’t turned 21 years old yet, and the sky’s the limit for his time in a Trail Blazer jersey moving forward.
Portland selected Clingan with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft.
More NCAA: Former UConn Five-Star Recruit Commits To John Calipari's Arkansas Razorbacks
-6cddf44b9a81eadb9d1a4c19c1b3db49.jpeg "Colin Keane")
Colin Keane is a contributing journalist for "UConn Huskies On SI." Born in Illinois, Colin grew up in Massachusetts as the third of four brothers. For his high school education, Colin attended St. Mark's School (Southborough, MA), where he played basketball and soccer and served as student body president. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Villanova University. Colin currently resides in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "UConn Huskies On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org