Examining the Fit of of Potential No. 1 Pick Donovan Clingan on The Atlanta Hawks

Could the Hawks Take UConn Center Donovan Clingan with the No. 1 Overall Pick?

Connecticut center Donovan Clingan (32) dunks against Alabama during the Final Four semifinal game at State Farm Stadium. / Cheryl Evans/The Republic / USA TODAY

There are 15 days until the Atlanta Hawks kick things off at the 2024 NBA Draft.

The Hawks shocked everyone by winning the No. 1 pick at the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery and now they control what happens on June 26th. Atlanta has a lot of decisions to make over the summer and are going to be one of the most intriguing teams to keep an eye on. There is debate over what they will do with the Trae Young/Dejounte Murray backcourt and whether veteran players such as Bogdan Bogdanovic, De'Andre Hunter, and Clint Capela are in the future plans for this franchise. It is one of the most important offseasons in recent memory for Atlanta and it could shape their team for years to come.

While this draft is regarded as not having superstar-level talent, there are plenty of good players that can be valuable fits on a team with established talent like Atlanta. Right after the lottery, the most popular player being mocked to the Hawks was French big man Alex Sarr, a 7'1 super athletic player with a 7'4 wingspan. There was then a lot of buzz about another French prospect, Zaccharie Risacher after that, but another prospect has started to gain steam and it just so happens he is the No. 2 player on my big board for the Hawks.

That would be UConn center Donovan Clingan. Clingan is regarded as the best college player in this draft and some view him as the safest player in the draft because of his perceived ability to be a high-level defender right away and for the potential to grow his game on the offensive end. He has drawn comparisons to four-time defensive player of the year Rudy Gobert, who played for current Hawks head coach Quin Snyder when they were in Utah. I think a Gobert comparison is lofty, but it is not hard to see where people get that idea from.

Let's dive into how Clingan could fit on the Hawks if they were to take him No. 1 or if they traded back and got him.

The Hawks were one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA last season, so it seems like a natural fit to take a high-level shot blocker and defender right? Clingan is 7'3 with a 7'7 wingspan and if you go back and watch the elite eight matchup between UConn and Illinois (his best game tape in my opinion), the Fighting Illini were not able to get anywhere near the basket and Clingan was just terrorizing anyone that tried to shoot in the paint.

Donovan Clingan's combination of elite size (7'3), length (7'7 wingspan), instincts and timing makes him the draft's top rim-protector, drawing Rudy Gobert comparisons with his potential impact defensively.

ESPN best prospects at different traits: https://t.co/Qotbmd1uE6 pic.twitter.com/dYYVKfq5p1

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 10, 2024

My favorite stat of this draft cycle is Illinois went 0-19 on shots contested by Donovan Clingan in the Elite 8. But his rim deterrence is more valuable. This sequence won't show up in highlights but it's a microcosm of his presence defensively. pic.twitter.com/R5jlyfMy7V

— AKelly (@andlankell) June 3, 2024

Clingan averaged 13.0 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 2.5 BPG, and 1.5 APG on 63% shooting from the field and he was 2-8 (25%) on three's. As a lob threat, Clingan would be impactful right away on offense.

The defensive rebounding and the passing abilities that he shows would also be awesome fits in Atlanta. Atlanta has some players such as Jalen Johnson that are effective in cutting to the basket and Clingan's ability to find them would be an awesome thing for the Hawks to have. I am not here to say that he is the next Nikola Jokic when it comes to passing, but his ability to find open players and get the ball to them is pretty high-level for someone his size.

So we know that Clingan is an elite shot-blocker, a good rebounder, and a good passer, but what are his weaknesses?

As great of a paint presence that Clingan brings, I do think it is worth questioning how he will defend on the perimeter in space. One of the areas of Gobert's game that gets picked on from time-to-time is that Clingan could have similar issues. What if the Hawks get in an unfavorable matchup in the playoffs and Clingan gets played off the floor because he is having a hard time matching up? For all of his strengths, it is a big risk to take someone with that kind of downside.

His offensive game is also a question. As a lob threat, I think he will be very good at from day one, but what else is he able to do when it comes to scoring? He is an ok scorer in the post, but he does not do it at a high level. He has not shown the ability to stretch the floor and be a reliable three-point shooter either. Clingan has been working on those parts of his game and there have been a lot of videos of him working on his three-point shot on social media, but actually doing it against NBA competition instead of an open gym is a different story. If Clingan does not improve and develop different skill sets on offense, he has to be a first-team All-Defensive team selection to justify taking him with the No. 1 pick. As good of a player as Clint Capela has been for the Hawks, Atlanta can't have a younger version of him at the No. 1 pick and expect to go further in the playoffs. Clingan does not have to turn into a great offensive player, but he has to get a better scoring skillset than he currently has and that is entirely possible.

Clingan has also been a bad free throw shooter in college and that is another way that he could get played off the floor. Hawks fans will remember Ben Simmons being a horrible free throw shooter and that worked to their advantage in the playoffs three years ago. I think Clingan will get better at that, but you don't want to give teams the luxury of being able to hack Clingan late in games to try and swing the volatility in their favor.

If the Hawks draft Clingan, that would probably mean that Capela's time with the Hawks has come to an end, but the question would be what to do with Onyeka Okongwu in the future. I think to start the season, Okongwu would be the starter at center and they could bring Clingan off the bench, but how long will that last? The Hawks could not play them together like they might be able to do with Sarr if they took him so it is possible if the Hawks take Clingan, Okongwu could be on the trading block either immediately or maybe a year from now. Okongwu did sign an extension before last season. That would be a storyline to watch if the Hawks do take Clingan in the draft.

In the latest mock draft from ESPN, draft analysts Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo made a pick that would fill the Hawks's biggest need and made a pick that would be the biggest value for the Hawks. Givony picked Clingan as the player that would fill the Hawks's biggest need:

Givony's pick that fills the biggest need: Donovan Clingan | UConn | C | Age: 20.2

"The 36-win Hawks, who have one of the NBA's worst defenses, could surely benefit from adding the draft's best rim-protector in Clingan, who might remind coach Quin Snyder of his Utah Jazz days with Rudy Gobert patrolling the paint. Clingan, ranked No. 3 in ESPN's Top 100, could be an excellent pick-and-roll partner with Trae Young, as he sets bruising screens, has terrific hands, can facilitate out-of-dribble handoffs and zoom actions and is a good passer and finisher."

The next question will be if the Hawks determine that Clingan is the player they want, do they take him at No. 1 or do they try and trade back a few spots and still get him? The obvious problem with this strategy is that you don't know whether other teams like Clingan could get taken before you. A popular trade down spot has been for the Hawks to go down to No. 4 and get the Spurs pick, but there is no guarantee that Clingan will make it to No. 4. If the Spurs want to move up for Alex Sarr at No. 1, the Wizards could take Zaccharie Risacher with the No. 2 pick, but Houston could take Clingan at No. 3 or they could trade it to a team such as the Grizzlies, who might want to get up and get him. While it could happen, it might be best for the Hawks to either take Clingan at No. 1 or just move back a spot.

On a recent episode of the Lowe Post Podcast, Jonathan Givony and Zach Lowe talked about UConn center Donovan Clingan and where he might go, with Givony mentioning that Hawks head coach Quin Snyder does like Clingan:

"Yeah, so we have Donovan Clingan ranked No. 3 on our big board. You can make a case for him as high as the second best prospect or even the No. 1 prospect. I have heard that Atlanta likes Donovan Clingan. Quin Snyder especially like Donovan Clingan and so Atlanta had, I think, one of the worst defenses in the NBA the past few years and one great way to fix that is to draft a guy with a 9'7 standing reach who is the best shot blocker in this draft and who anchored a national championship defense the past two years."

Givony has also previously said that Clingan has fans among the Hawks constituency:

"Clingan has momentum going into June, as he made a strong impression in the drills portion of the combine, private interviews and his pro day, where he dropped intriguing glimpses of perimeter shooting that many scouts feel will be part of his game in the not-too-distant future. His measurements -- 7-3 in shoes, 282 pounds with a 7-7 wingspan and outrageous 9-7 standing reach are elite (as we already knew).

The draft lottery did not do him too many favors, though, slating teams with entrenched starters at the center position at Nos. 3, 4 and 5, which might drop him a little further than his big-board ranking indicates. It would not be surprising to see teams such as the Portland Trail Blazers or the Memphis Grizzlies try to move up on draft night to snag their starting center of the future. There is some chatter, however, that Clingan has fans among the Hawks' constituency at No. 1, meaning there's a lot left to be played out between now and June 26"

This is not the first time that Clingan has been suggested to be in play with the No. 1 pick. On an episode of his podcast last month, ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski was discussing prospects at the top of the draft with Givony and Wojnarowski suggested that Clingan is firmly in play to go in the top three, which obviously means he is in play for the No. 1 pick to Atlanta:

"I think with Clingan, there are elements to his game that you did not see at UConn that have been there and he has been someone that going back to his high school days, spent a lot of time, behind the three-point line and developing that game. You go watch him workout and you watch him practice and him moving all the way around the arc and back again and shooting the ball. He has not been a great free throw shooter, but there is no reason to believe that he is not going to be a better free throw shooter, there is nothing wrong with his stroke and it feels like it is a place that he is going to improve. His dominance for UConn, what he did, the improvement, the lateral quickness, his ability to recover and cover so much ground, you saw the NCAA Tournament, I mean Illinois literally could not get anywhere near the basket with him on the floor, but you saw it all year.

As teams are meeting him and getting their....they know what the intel is on him, what kind of teammate he has been, the kind of leader he was, the kind of empathy that he has for teammates, that has been known, but you just talk to teams who started to get to spend time with him and anybody around him knew that that was only going to enhance his stock when they get to meet with him and I think he will only go to select teams and spend even more time in their organization, certainly that is only going to help his case at No. 1, No. 2 with Washington, or perhaps even No. 3 with the Rockets."

Here is the scouting report on Clingan courtesy of the Ringer's Kevin O'Connor:

PLUSES

• Intimidating rim protector with a 7-foot-7 wingspan. He can block shots without even leaving his feet. Opponents avoid him when he’s lurking near the paint, not just because he’s imposing but also because he tends to be in the right position.
• Has the potential to be an excellent drop defender in the pick-and-roll. He’s mobile and does a solid job of flipping his hips to contain penetrating players.
• Excellent drop defender in the pick-and-roll. He’s good at using his size to protect the rim, but he’s also gotten mobile enough to hedge on the perimeter. He can flip his hips to contain penetrating players and recover to the roller if necessary.
• Stout rebounder who boxes out and swallows up boards.
• Dunks everything around the basket. UConn calls designed plays to get him lob dunks, something that will immediately translate to the NBA.
• Dramatically improved as a post presence as a sophomore, adding soft hook shots that he can hit with either his right or left hand. And with the much cleaner footwork he's developed, he can also mix in an occasional drop step. With his blend of size, strength, and agility, he could eventually develop into more of a go-to presence.
• He has great awareness in the paint. When point guards probe inside, he relocates to open space to make himself free for a pass.
• Whether he’s in the dunker spot, rolling after a ball screen, or sprinting up the floor, he has soft hands for catching tough passes and good coordination for finishing. Bigs his size are often clumsy, but he has no issue with high or low passes.
• Good passer out of post-ups. He delivers the ball with precision, whether it’s from the elbow in handoff situations or from the post, and he always looks comfortable when handling pressure and double-teams.

MINUSES

• Borderline hackable free throw shooter who made 51.7 percent as a freshman and then just 57.4 percent as a sophomore.
• His per-minute impact waned when he took on a greater role as a sophomore, but he was also recovering from a preseason foot injury. As soon as he was healthy he began dominating, but his health is worth monitoring because of his size.
• Lacks the advanced post moves that would separate him from being just a catch-and-finish specialist.
• He’s a slow-footed perimeter defender who will need to prove he can defend in space to have scheme flexibility. NBA teams will pull him out of the paint and test him.
• He shot 3s in high school but hasn’t been an effective shooter in college. Non-shooters can still provide immense value in the NBA, but it’d be an added bonus if he ever figures that out since he's certainly willing to shoot.

I am a big fan of Clingan and think he would be an immediate help for the Hawks. If he can show the ability to defend in space and get a more well-rounded offensive game, then he can certainly be the top player to come out of this draft.