Report: UConn Center Donovan Clingan "Has Fans among the Hawks' constituency at No. 1"

Could the Hawks take UConn Center Donovan Clingan with the No. 1 overall pick?

Apr 8, 2024; Glendale, AZ, USA; Connecticut Huskies center Donovan Clingan (32) celebrates defeating the Purdue Boilermakers in the national championship game of the Final Four of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Hawks were on the clock the second they won the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery and with less than five weeks to go until draft time, it does seem that the Hawks are settling in on three players for the No. 1 pick. French prospects Alex Sarr and Zaccharie Risacher have been the most talked about for the top pick in recent weeks but according to ESPN's Jonathan Givony, UConn center Donovan Clingan is still in play:

"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"

Clingan is seen as one of the best prospects in the draft, but the lottery may not have shaken out in his favor. The teams that could really use a player like him fell in the lottery and while it is still possible he could go as high as No. 1, he could also fall out of the top five.

Defensively, there is no doubt that Clingan would be a huge boost for the Hawks at the center position. He looks to have All-Defensive team potential with his shot-blocking ability, the questions are going to come on the offensive end of the floor. Clingan did not flash enough of floor spacing and three-point shooting ability while at UConn and he is not a good free-throw shooter. Could he improve those areas? For sure, but if he does not make enough improvement, he could get played off the floor in certain scenarios.

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, 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.

While anything can happen between now and June 26th, it does seem that there is a lot of focus on Sarr, Risacher, and Clingan to be selected No. 1. The Hawks front office needs to make the right decision for the franchise with this pick.