Trail Blazers Release Exclusive Behind-The-Scene Footage of Donovan Clingan Draft Process

Ricardo Klein | Sep 9, 2024

Jun 26, 2024; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Donovan Clingan shakes hands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected in the first round by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2024 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Portland Trail Blazers are gearing up for a bounce-back season, with a key addition in their No. 7 overall pick, Donovan Clingan. Clingan is expected to bring a new dynamic to this young Blazers squad as they aim to be more competitive in the upcoming season.

With training camp just a month away, the Blazers released exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of Clingan’s draft process, giving fans an inside look at how the team zeroed in on the 7-foot-2 center out of UConn.

The 10-minute video highlights key moments leading up to Clingan’s selection, including clips from his pre-draft workout in Portland and commentary from assistant general manager Mike Schmitz. 

One of the standout moments of the video comes early on when Schmitz talks about how Clingan first caught the team's attention during his freshman year at UConn when they won the Phil Knight Invitational at the Moda Center in 2022.

"Just watching him erase shot after shot, watching him impact the game at such a high level defensively, we were all like‘woah.’ His feel for the game defensively, his toughness, his length, and the fact that every time he stepped on the floor, even playing behind one of the best players in the conference, he was so impactful. I think he won MVP as a backup center, a true freshman", said Schmitz. 

So we thought at that time, and a lot of our scouts, that he could be really a one-and-done."

Schmitz goes on to explain why the organization is such a big fan of Clingan’s game and potential.

"He’s so winning-focused and at UCONN that was his role, right? To be a rim protector, be a hub who can move the ball side to side, and and be a finisher, and not really look to to step out and shoot the 3. Dating back to that workout and his body of work, I think he shot 37, 38% from 3 in high school, and so we were able to see, okay, he has a different element to his game than just the role he played at UCONN, and so he was champing at the bit to compete, and that’s something that really stood out to us. That combined with the shooting and the body of work — seemed like a no-brainer for us.

Just his basketball IQ, just seeing how much time he’s invested in studying the game. You don’t normally see that from a 20-year-old, 7’2”, 7’3’’ guy, so you could see that he really eats, sleeps, and breathes basketball.

Coming from UConn, a program known for its winning tradition, Clingan hopes to bring that same championship mentality to Portland. With high expectations surrounding the 20-year-old, all eyes will be on how he contributes to the Blazers' rebuild this season.

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