Blazers Receive Concerning News Regarding Donovan Clingan’s Ankle Injury

Jan 11, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan (23) signals for the ball during the first half against Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
Jan 11, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan (23) signals for the ball during the first half against Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images / Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

The Portland Trail Blazers will be without their rookie center, Donovan Clingan, for a while.

The Blazers will re-evaluate their rookie center in a week after he suffered a mild left ankle sprain on Tuesday night against the Brooklyn Nets.

Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report shared the news via X.

Clingan tweaked his ankle late in Tuesday's loss to Brooklyn, and further testing revealed a mild ankle sprain.

Clingan will miss at least the next four games, three of which will be at home.

Portland will provide updates as necessary a week from now. While Clingan is sidelined, the Trail Blazers could look to Robert Williams III and Duop Reath for backup center minutes behind Deandre Ayton.

This is the rookie's second significant injury of his young career. Earlier in the season, Clingan suffered a grade 2 MCL sprain on Nov. 23 against the Houston Rockets.

Clingan missed close to three weeks due to that injury. In the season, he has been solid for the struggling Blazers, averaging 5.6 points per game, 6.5 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 0.5 steals while shooting 53.7 from the field in 31 games and 16.7 minutes of action.

Clingan has been a bright spot for the Blazers thus far through the season, and his presence will be missed. He is clearly an integral part of the Blazers' future, as he is viewed as the center of the future.

The last time Clingan missed significant time, the Blazers struggled mightily without their star rookie center on the court. In the eight games he missed, the Trail Blazers have a 1-7 record and were blown out three times.

The Trail Blazers selected the star rookie center from the University of Connecticut with the No. 7 overall pick.

Clingan's time in Connecticut was special. He helped UConn win back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024. Clingan was huge for the team, as he was named to the Al Honorable Mention All-American Team in 2024 and was a part of the Big East All-Freshman Team in 2023.

The Trail Blazers now have a 13-26 record, which is good for 13th in the loaded Western Conference. They are 6.5 games back from the 10th seed and 20 games back from the top spot in the West, although the one seed is not a realistic spot for them.

More Blazers: Blazers' Deandre Ayton Could Land With East Contender in Latest Odds

Blazers Predicted to Land $45M Guard From Thunder


Published |Modified