Donovan Clingan entered his second NBA season hearing talk that his days as a starter for the Portland Trail Blazers were numbered. Yang Hansen entered the Association with a mountain of hype, with many comparing him to Nikola Jokic and claiming that it was only a matter of time before he took Clingan's spot.
As the Trail Blazers bounce back from a tough stretch and string together wins, however, they've backed Clingan and granted his wish for consistently big minutes.
It doesn't take too much of a leap of faith to believe that Clingan wants what all players covet: Stability. Considering he's a second-year player who was a top 10 pick and immediately had an incoming rookie labeled as an individual who would take his place, it's even easier to connect the dots.
That belief is at least partially fueled by the comments he made in February of 2025 that he's ready to play major minutes and establish himself as a cornerstone for the Trail Blazers.
Per Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian, Clingan said the following about starting and playing 30-plus minutes per game:
“I’m definitely ready,” Clingan said. “I put a lot of work into getting my body and my conditioning right to the point where it’s at and I’m gonna keep on going to get better and better.”
Clingan is averaging 26.8 minutes per game on the season and, roughly one year after stepping up to take on the challenge, is beginning to exceed 30 minutes played on a regular basis.
Donovan Clingan finally getting the 30+ minutes he said he was ready for
Clingan played 30 minutes in the 2025-26 regular season opener, but then went 13 games without exceeding 28. He posted 17 points, 21 rebounds, 10 offensive boards, four assists, two blocks, and a steal when Portland finally gave him another 30-plus minutes of playing time.
Clingan made seven more appearances before 30-plus minutes became attainable again, but it's since become a regular occurrence.
Clingan is averaging 30.5 minutes per contest over the Trail Blazers' past 11 games, exceeding 30 in seven of his appearances. During that time, he's rewarded their faith with averages of 14.3 points, 12.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.2 blocks per game.
More importantly, Portland is 9-4 over his past 13 appearances and has won five of its past six games—during which time Clingan has played less than 29 minutes just once.
It's a continuation of a trend in which the Trail Blazers simply play better the more Clingan is on the court. They're 14-8 when he plays at least 25 minutes in 2025-26 and 3-8 when he plays but fails to exceed that threshold, as well as 6-5 when he plays 30-plus minutes.
Furthermore, Deni Avdija, Clingan, and Jrue Holiday are the only three Portland players who have played at least 400 minutes and produced a positive net rating in 2025-26.
At a time when it seemed as though Hansen was coming for Clingan's job, it's suddenly difficult to envision the Trail Blazers without the former UConn star. Clingan still has areas in which he must improve, but he's proven early in his career that he can be a strong interior anchor who positively influences winning.
The day will still come where he and Hansen will learn to coexist or out-duel one another for the starting job, but Clingan is finally being given a real opportunity to prove his worth.