After a very solid rookie campaign with the Portland Trail Blazers, Donovan Clingan has taken a big step forward in 2025-26. Now, as he continues to level up, some want to see him expand his range and take more three-point shots. But really, the biggest improvement he needs to make is to get better at playmaking out of the short roll.
The instinct to want Clingan shooting threes certainly makes sense. Everyone wants spacing, and every big gets pressured to open up that part of their game eventually. But for Portland, that’s skipping ahead a bit. The thing the Blazers need most from him right now is for him to get more comfortable making reads when defenses react to him.
Clingan already does a lot of things well. He's a solid rebounder and rim protector, and he brings a level of physicality this roster has needed. Portland’s defense looks more organized when he’s out there, and opponents think twice before attacking the paint. For a second-year center, that’s real value.
Where the next step shows up is in those short-roll situations. When Clingan catches the ball around the free throw line, there’s usually an advantage to be found. But a lot of times it turns into a rushed shot or a reset. If he can slow those moments down and start finding cutters or shooters, the offense would look completely different.
Clingan improving his playmaking would level up this team
That’s especially important given who he’s playing with. Deni Avdija is having a career season, and he'd benefit from the offense opening up that much more. A center who can make quick, simple reads in traffic would change how teams guard this group.
This strategy also fits where the Blazers are in their organizational timeline. This isn’t a team that needs Clingan experimenting with skills that might pay off two years from now. They'd like to see that development happen now so they can get cleaner possessions and easier looks. Short-roll playmaking does that a lot more than one three-point make a game does.
At the end of the day, this isn’t some unrealistic ask. It’s a lot more about confidence more than it is talent. The name of the game is good decision-making, and that's something that can be taught in a lot of instances.
If that comes, Portland suddenly has a center who fits the modern game without losing what makes him effective. This kind of development would help move the rebuild forward in a meaningful way, and it’s the path that makes the most sense for everyone involved right now.