One game after surrendering 157 points to the Denver Nuggets, the Portland Trail Blazers locked down the Phoenix Suns, 92-77. In such a low-scoring matchup, Portland controlled the game defensively, starting with their anchor, Donovan Clingan. But the UConn product made his presence felt on both ends of the court, finishing with 23 points, 13 rebounds, and four blocks.
Most significantly, Clingan connected on 3-of-6 of his attempts that came from beyond the arc. This shouldn't come as a surprise to Blazers fans, as Clingan has quickly emerged as one of the more reliable floor spacing options on the roster.
Donovan Clingan's three-point shot is here to stay
Clingan is making 32.7% of his three-pointers this season, and doing so with high volume (3.1 attempts per game). That's a drastic increase from the 0.7 attempts he averaged as a rookie.
Clingan discussed his mindset after the convincing win over Phoenix: "I put a lot of work in, get a lot of shots up every day. Just going out there and shooting it with confidence and letting it fly is important," he said. "When they don't step up, I see it as an open shot."
Admittedly, we thought Clingan shot too many threes at the beginning of the season and felt he should've played more to his strengths, using his physical tools on the interior. To his credit, Clingan has already silenced his skeptics in Year 2, with a large enough sample size to convince us that his shot is here to stay.
It's a huge development for a Blazers team that has consistently ranked near the bottom of the league in three-point efficiency throughout their entire rebuild. The fact that it's a recent development for a 21-year-old also suggests that the best is yet to come.
Many have compared Clingan's career trajectory to Brook Lopez, who refined his three-point shot later in his career. But Clingan's shot is coming around much quicker than many anticipated. When paired with his elite rebounding and rim protection, it's apparent that he's officially become a key building block in Portland.
The Blazers' center of the future doesn't come without flaws, and he still gets exposed on the perimeter defensively because of his lack of lateral mobility. But this three-point shot is crucial for his impact as it gives the Blazers an advantage of their own, making that perimeter tradeoff worthwhile.
The analytics of the modern NBA value shots at the rim and beyond the arc more than ever. And Portland has a center that is becoming a positive in both of those key areas.