Just How High Is Donovan Clingan’s Ceiling?

Does Portland’s seventh overall pick have star potential?

Jul 15, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Portland Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan (23) reacts to a play against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second half at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports / Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports

For a large part of the draft process, UConn big man Donovan Clingan was in play as the potential first-overall pick. In his two collegiate seasons, he captured a pair of National Championships, leading the charge with his defensive dominance in his sophomore season.

However, come draft night, Clingan slipped. He fell until the Portland Trail Blazers finally took him off the board at No. 7 overall. Still, he possesses the promising potential to far exceed his value as a seventh-overall pick.

A gigantic paint presence, Clingan’s 7-foot-9 standing reach and 280-pound frame bring him far as an interior defender. However, he also mixes his sheer size with a very high skill level. The Connecticut native moves with impressive dexterity, able to cover ground in, and even beyond, the paint. Further, Clingan boasts exceptional hands when contesting shots, able to track the ball particularly well. Defensively, there isn’t much he doesn’t do well already.

Offensively, Clingan is currently limited, but possesses clear pathways to value as well as some intrigue past this. He’s certainly not the most advanced interior scorer, nor much of a threat with the ball in space, but he does have a baseline of a huge 7-foot-2 frame and some touch. That, plus the impact of his physical screening and offensive rebounding, gives him an almost likely pathway to solid offensive value in an interior play-finishing role. Beyond this, Clingan has flashed some noteworthy moments as a 3-point shooter recently. He shot many threes with no hesitation at NBA Summer League, converting some impressive makes with good-looking mechanics. Moving forward, this could be an area where Clingan could make a meaningful impact should he continue to improve his jumper.

Projecting as a good-to-great defender and passable offensive piece, Clingan is a great bet to become a good starting center in the NBA. Past this, if he’s able to unlock above-average scoring production from any level of the court and/or achieve a high-end defensive outcome, Clingan may very well be a star. 

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