The Portland Trail Blazers have gone about their rebuilding process in a somewhat unconventional manner. Two primary building blocks, Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara, were acquired via trade, with Portland sacrificing valuable draft capital to land the former. While general manager Joe Cronin has absolutely nailed these trades, the draft has been a different story.
Portland hasn't necessarily struggled in the draft, but Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe have yet to put it all together to reach their high ceilings, while Yang Hansen remains an enigma that fans likely won't have clarity on for multiple seasons down the road.
All things considered, their best draft decision throughout this rebuild was selecting Donovan Clingan with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
The Blazers stole Donovan Clingan in the 2024 NBA Draft
This was a historically weak draft class with no genuine headliners. To put things in perspective, Clingan was even in consideration for the No. 1 overall pick, with the Atlanta Hawks ultimately going with French prospect Zaccharie Risacher. Atlanta wasn't the only team high on Clingan, as Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report previously noted that he had a "strong suspicion" the UConn big man was the top-ranked prospect on Portland's draft board.
Clingan was as advertised in his All-Rookie campaign, finishing with 6.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.6 blocks in just 19.8 minutes per game. That made Portland's front office feel comfortable enough to buy out Deandre Ayton this offseason, clearing the path for Clingan.
As a result of his new starting role and internal improvement, particularly in his conditioning, Clingan's production has increased to 10.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.6 blocks in 25.4 minutes per game this season. He started off on a relatively slow note and wasn't quite asserting himself to the level we had hoped a 7-foot-2, 280-pound center would. But Clingan has come on strong as of late, which is perfect timing for a shorthanded Blazers team dealing with a laundry list of injuries.
Donovan Clingan is becoming a building block in Portland
The elite rebounding and rim protection seamlessly translated from UConn and have been apparent since he entered the league. But now, Clingan is also expanding his offensive arsenal. He's slowly figuring out how to find that balance between adjusting to life as a traditional center in the modern NBA without compromising his strengths. Clingan just recently had a career high in Portland's NBA Cup win over the Golden State Warriors, finishing with 22 points, ten rebounds, and four assists.
Besides his obvious physical tools, what makes Clingan an elite defensive anchor is his ability to anticipate plays and put himself in the right angles on the court. Offensively, this applies to his passing ability, which is the most underrated aspect of his game. Clingan is also a willing floor spacer, attempting 3.1 threes a game -- albeit at just 25.5% -- but it's encouraging that he's already showing the willingness to shoot, and as that percentage improves, it will do wonders for unlocking Portland's offense.
Portland already came away with a legitimate starting-level center in a weak draft class. But as Clingan continues to get better offensively, he's proving to be on track to become one of their most essential building blocks.
Part of the reason he fell to No. 7 in the draft was that teams picking before Portland already had an established center. But those teams should be kicking themselves right about now for not taking the best available player.