Donovan Clingan got a chance to start Wednesday night for the Portland Trail Blazers. To celebrate the occasion, he had a block party.
Clingan had eight blocks, along with 17 points and 12 rebounds, in Portland’s 106-98 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night. All of those were career highs. He did it against a strong Minnesota Timberwolves team, outplaying the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Rudy Gobert.
The rookie center, whom Portland drafted at No. 7 out of UConn, is averaging 2.1 blocks despite playing less than 16 minutes per game. His size — Clingan is listed at 7-foot-2, 280 pounds — has been a game-changer for Portland in defending the paint.
Clingan isn’t just blocking shots. He’s contesting them at the third-best rate in the NBA for players who’ve been on the court more than 30 minutes, behind only Brook Lopez and Chet Holmgren. The Blazers (5-8) are now 17th in the NBA in defensive efficiency, allowing 0.9 points less per game than they did last season.
While Clingan is only scoring 5.7 points per game, he’s also freeing up teammates with his screen-setting, something that should only get better as teammates Shaedon Sharpe, Kris Murray and Anfernee Simons get used to playing with him.
The issue with Clingan’s Rookie of the Year candidacy is the presence of highly paid center Deandre Ayton ahead of him on the depth chart, as well as defensive-minded pivot man Robert “Time Lord” Williams. It’s a delicate situation for the Blazers, who likely don’t have Ayton in their long-term plans but still would like to showcase the former No. 1 pick for a trade.
The big center didn’t appear on the Kia Rookie of the Year ladder, but his per-36-minute statistics compare favorably with No. 2 ROY candidate Zach Edey. Edey is scoring more than Clingan, putting up 20 points, 12 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.3 steals per 36, while Clingan has 13 points, 12.5 rebounds, 4.7 blocks and 0.9 steals per 36.
If Clingan gets the minutes he’s proving he deserves, he should skyrocket up that metaphorical ladder. Even without awards recognition, he’s showing Portland that its center of the future is already on the roster.
