Donovan Clingan

Donovan Clingan

20-Year-Old CenterC
Portland Trail Blazers
2024 Fantasy Outlook
Many mock drafts had Clingan as a top-three pick, so Portland getting him at No. 7 represents a slide down the board. The UConn product, with his 7-foot-2 frame, is a traditional big. He blocks shots at an elite level, rebounds, and works in the paint on offense. How much he gets used in the post instead of simply as a pick-and-roll threat remains to be seen, but it will be an option for him. Clingan's experience with an excellent college program and his baseline of skill make him one of the more ready-made prospects in the draft. In Summer League, Clingan averaged 9.0 points and 0.8 threes on 36/23/50 shooting, 12.3 rebounds, 4.3 blocks, 0.8 steals and 2.0 assists with 2.8 turnovers in 25.4 minutes. Clingan explored shooting threes in Summer League, which hurt his offensive performance. But he was a monster on defense, showing fans why he was in the discussion to be selected sooner in the draft. That said, he will have to compete with Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams for minutes as a rookie, which is a far from ideal situation since nobody in the trio can effectively play power forward. With the blocks upside alone, it's defensible to take a chance on Clingan in fantasy, but it will probably take a major injury or trade for the full potential to be realized. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
Current Season
#156
ADP
Personal Bio/PreCareer Summary

A native of Bristol, Conn., Clingan averaged 30.3 points, 18.4 boards and 6.2 blocks as a senior in high school. The two-time Gatorade Player of the Year committed to UConn in July of 2021, and also received offers from Michigan, Ohio State, Syracuse and other high-majors. A top-50 player in the 2022 high school class, Clingan was an immediate impact player as a freshman at UConn during the 2022-23 season. His interior scoring, rebounding and high-volume shot-blocking helped propel the Huskies to the 2023 National Championship. Clingan opted to return for his sophomore season, taking on a larger role and posting 13.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.5 blocks en route to another National Championship. The 7-foot-2 center's raw numbers may not jump off the page, but he played only 22.5 minutes per game as a sophomore due to a deep and talented Huskies roster. Clingan finished the 2023-24 season ranked top 10 nationally in block rate (11.4%), defensive rating (89.4), win shares per 40 minutes (.302) and defensive box plus/minus (6.2). Clingan's combination of size and defensive awareness makes him one of the best big man prospects in the draft. With a 7-foot-7 wingspan and excellent mobility, Clingan has immense potential as a defender, particularly around the rim. He's poised to be among the better shot-blockers in the NBA, but could struggle when asked to switch out onto much quicker players. Offensively, Clingan is relatively limited, but he's a strong finisher inside with good touch for his size. While he doesn't have a deep arsenal of post moves, Clingan also doesn't demand the ball, which should bode well for his future as a low-maintenance, defense-first, lob-finisher at the pro level. Clingan fits the bill of a plug-and-play lottery pick for most teams, even if he's not a high-minute player right away. His size and length should allow him to patrol the rim at a borderline-elite level in the NBA. However, the jump up in competition could render Clingan less-imposing than he was for a UConn team that often had a significant talent advantage. On the other end of the floor, Clingan's offensive game remains a major question mark. Clingan rarely shot the ball outside the paint at UConn and is likely years away from developing a reliable jumpshot. He also shot just 51.7 percent at the free-throw line as a freshman before showing marginal improvement (57.4% FT) as a sophomore. Walker Kessler and Jakob Poeltl are the current NBA players who fit Clingan's size and skill archetype.

Double-doubles off bench Sunday
CPortland Trail Blazers
October 14, 2024
Clingan notched 10 points (5-9 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 0-1 FT), 10 rebounds, a steal and two blocks across 18 minutes off the bench in Sunday's 108-85 preseason win over the Kings.
ANALYSIS
Deandre Ayton will open the regular season as Portland's starting center, but Clingan has made his presence felt on both ends of the court throughout the preseason. That means the rookie could see decent minutes once the regular season begins, and he could very well win the backup role over Robert Williams (hamstring) even after the latter is deemed available to return to the hardwood. The Blazers open their regular season against the Warriors on Oct. 23.
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Won't play Sunday
CPortland Trail Blazers
Rest
July 21, 2024
Clingan will not play in Sunday's Summer League finale against the Rockets, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports.
ANALYSIS
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Flirts with double-double
CPortland Trail Blazers
July 15, 2024
Clingan totaled eight points (4-11 FG, 0-1 3Pt), 11 rebounds, five assists and three blocks in 25 minutes during Monday's 97-95 Summer League win over the 76ers.
ANALYSIS
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Blocks five shots
CPortland Trail Blazers
July 13, 2024
Clingan produced four points (1-8 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 2-4 FT), 13 rebounds, one assist, one steal and five blocks in 27 minutes during Saturday's 83-77 Summer League loss to the Spurs.
ANALYSIS
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Slides to Portland at No. 7
CPortland Trail Blazers
June 26, 2024
Clingan was selected by the Trail Blazers with the No. 7 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Praises teammate in camp
CPortland Trail Blazers
October 2, 2024
Clingan spoke highly of Deandre Ayton during Monday's interviews with media, according to Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report. "D.A. is awesome," Clingan said. "He's got a lot of energy. He knows the game very well. A lot of skill. To have someone to look up to like that is special. It means a lot to me."
ANALYSIS
One of the hottest topics centered around the Trail Blazers camp is the potential logjam they'll have at center, with Ayton, Clingan and Robert Williams all being part of the mix. However, it seems the rookie, who was a lottery pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, is not looking to create controversy. Clingan is expected to see steady minutes off the bench while Ayton handles the starting role, at least in the opening weeks of the campaign.
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