NBA Draft

Donovan Clingan's Skillset will make Life Easier For Trail Blazers

Clingan has a combination of rim protection and passing that makes his teammates' jobs easier.

Maurya Kumpatla

Jul 15, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Portland Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan (23) wipes his face with his jersey during the first half against the Philadelphia 76ers at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 15, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Portland Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan (23) wipes his face with his jersey during the first half against the Philadelphia 76ers at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports / Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports
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Portland's newest rookie Donovan Clingan has been impressive in several areas in Summer League thus far. While he hasn't excelled in scoring through two games, averaging just 6.0 points per game on 26.3% shooting, his passing reads and defensive dominance have both translated immediately. He's averaging 3.0 assists and 4.0 blocks per game, the latter of which is tied for first in Las Vegas Summer League.

The 7-foot-2 center, with a near 7-foot-7 wingspan, has been locking down the paint for opponents. He is a dominant drop defender possessing elite technique in unison with length. He's even more dominant as a rim protector, combining technique and length with timing not only to block shots, but also be at the right place at the right time on rotations at the rim to deter shots.

This ability to not only block but also deter shots consistently is a hallmark of elite rim protectors — Donovan Clingan is on the right path already.

Clingan was also really impressive as a passer last night against the Philadelphia 76ers. At the top of they key and at the high elbow, Clingan found players cutting and got them easy buckets.

Although just standstill reads, Portland's center being able to make these passing reads will allow their young guys — Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, Anfernee Simons — to cut more off the ball and know that they'll be found. As self-creators in a poor spacing enviornment, this will make life easier for them.

Clingan's paint protection will also just make life easier for the Portland Trail Blazers team as a whole. They finished dead last in defensive field-goal percentage within 6 feet last season, so when their defenders got beat on the perimeter last season, it was very difficult for them to contain a paint touch. Considering they lacked much help on the perimeter outside of Matisse Thybulle, that occurred quite often. This led to Portland ranking 23rd in defensive rating.

Clingan will remove the large amount of stress on the perimeter defenders with his ability to protect the paint and will instantly boost the Trailblazers' defensive performance. This, along with his passing, is how he'll instantly make life easier for Portland's players in the NBA

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Maurya K
MAURYA KUMPATLA

Maurya currently attends the University of Tennessee and covers the NBA Draft, as well as the league as a whole. He enjoys analyzing player fit and team building as he evaluates prospects.

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