Donovan Clingan is well on track to take over as the Portland Trail Blazers' long-term starting center. However, Clingan must improve his conditioning to increase his minutes and become a more dominant player.
This shouldn't surprise the Blazers, as Clingan averaged 22.5 minutes as a sophomore at UConn despite being an integral part of their back-to-back NCAA championships.
His impact on winning immediately translated to the NBA, resulting in an All-Rookie Second Team selection, making him the first Blazers player to receive All-Rookie honors since Damian Lillard in 2013.
But what's even more impressive about the feat is that Clingan had much less opportunity than other players being considered for the honor. He averaged less than 20 minutes per game, starting in only 37.
Donovan Clingan’s potential hinges on his conditioning
His elite per-36 numbers suggest that Clingan could eventually become one of the league's best rebounders and rim protectors. But for Chauncey Billups to give him more run, Clingan must prove he can play for extended stretches and maintain that level of effectiveness.
The good news is that this is a fixable thing, and we'd much rather have a skilled big that needs more conditioning than vice versa. But there's a sense of urgency because the Blazers' crowded frontcourt could quickly open up.
It won't be surprising if Deandre Ayton, Robert Williams III, and/or Duop Reath are moved this summer, given that they are all on expiring deals, which makes them much easier to include as salary fillers (particularly in Ayton's case, if the Blazers decide to go star hunting this summer).
It's not just about the minutes, either. With the Blazers now emphasizing more of a transition offense that utilizes their athleticism with players like Deni Avdija, Shaedon Sharpe, and Scoot Henderson, it's crucial that Clingan can keep up and complement that style of play.
Even increasing his minutes to around 25 while maintaining that level of dominance and keeping up with Portland's pace would go a long way.
The Blazers have four centers... they could still use another
However, it's not entirely on Clingan to solve this problem. With him set to eventually take over as the starting five, Portland needs to consider long-term backup options to spell Clingan.
Can they convince Ayton to take a lesser role and significantly less money to make it worth keeping him around? That seems unlikely. Is the injury-prone Williams reliable enough to move on with him as their backup instead? Also unlikely.
By the process of elimination, the Blazers should pursue external solutions. With the No. 11 pick, Maryland's Derik Queen emerges as an intriguing option. In free agency, Naz Reid is a pipe dream, but players like Santiago Aldama (restricted) or Precious Achiuwa are more realistic names that could make sense.
Then again, depending on what happens this summer, their long-term backup center might not even be a problem they need to address immediately.
The more pressing issue is Clingan's conditioning. He's quickly become a core piece to the Blazers' rebuild, and their ceiling is closely tied to how dominant he can become.