Blazers' Chauncey Billups Gives Surprising Evaluation of Donovan Clingan's Preseason Performance

John Robinson | Oct 13, 2024

Jul 15, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Portland Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan (23) competes against Philadelphia 76ers forward/center Adem Bona (30) during the second half at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images / Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

After winning his second NCAA March Madness National Championship with the Unversity of Connecticut, center Donovan Clingan would enter the 2024 NBA Draft, where he was selected seventh overall by the Portland Trail Blazers. The 7'2 center has all the tools NBA teams look for in a modern-day big man and could develop into a franchise cornerstone for a very young Portland team.

On Friday, the Trail Blazers took on the Los Angeles Clippers in a preseason exhibition in Seattle Washington. In 19 minutes of action, the rookie center went three of five from the field for seven points with five rebounds, two assists, and a blocked shot. One of his buckets came from the three-point line where he was left wide open, which was definitely a delight to witness for Trail Blazers fans.

No. 7 pick Donovan Clingan hammers home the lob 🔥

Blazers-Clippers under 2 minutes to play on NBA League Pass!

📲 https://t.co/SPOTxHtPHi pic.twitter.com/xXeeJOc53x

— NBA (@NBA) October 12, 2024

“I thought it was great to be out there competing against another team other than our guys,” Clingan said. “It felt good. But there’s definitely things I could have done better. But it gave me a good feel for what it’s going to be like this year. And having that as my first game, I’m excited.”

Clingan's head coach Chauncey Billups thought his newly drafted center played 'okay' but it was obvious that there were some things he wanted him to improve. Billups noted that Clingan is young and some of the mistakes he made are due to his inexperience at the NBA level.

“I thought he was OK,” Billups said. “To me, they scored a little bit too easy down there. It’s just kind of a bad habit that young kids have."

When Clingan asked about how he felt during his outing on Friday, he attributed his conditioning being an asset for him as he did not feel fatigued after the game.

“It’s way more physical,” Clingan said. “These dudes are strong. They’re much older. I think I handled it pretty well. My conditioning feels great. Just up and down the floor, multiple trips. I wasn’t really getting tired.”

With the loss of center Robert Williams due to injury, Clingan will likely be tasked with backing up the former number-one overall selection in 2018 DeAndre Ayton. If the Trail Blazers decided to commit to a tank for the first pick in 2025, Ayton could be traded to a team likely to contend for a championship, which could thrust Clingan into a starting role before the 2024-25 season concludes.

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