The Portland Trail Blazers have an exciting young core that has taken significant leaps, especially towards the end of the season. Although they didn't achieve a play-in spot and have just a 4.5 percent chance at Cooper Flagg, the development and clarity surrounding their roster should make this season considered an overall success.
Portland was a promising rebuilding team entering the season, but the talent of their youth -- particularly recent top-ten picks Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe -- was more theoretical as untapped potential. Both guards possessed high upside but have yet to put it all together; a concern that was initially highlighted by the fact that neither of them made an All-Rookie Team.
In fact, a Blazers player hasn't achieved that feat since Damian Lillard's Rookie of the Year season in 2013. It's also one of the reasons Joe Cronin's recent extension was polarizing, as he hasn't necessarily nailed Portland's draft selections in past seasons.
It may have been more luck than skill to land Donovan Clingan with the No. 7 overall pick in last year's draft -- he surprisingly fell, in part because teams picking before already had their center positions solidified. Nonetheless, Cronin deserves credit for selecting Clingan, especially since he didn't have to sacrifice valuable assets to trade up to land the guy they wanted all along.
The case for Donovan Clingan to make All-Rookie Second Team
Clingan will likely be on the bubble for the All-Rookie Second Team. This weak draft class means there's not much separation between players. But our Blazers bias aside, Clingan deserves a spot.
Ultimately, whether or not Clingan wins the subjective award depends on what voters value more. Some rookies are good players on bad teams, or "empty stats" players, which inflates their numbers. That's not the case for Clingan, who hasn't gotten as much opportunity as some of these other rookies but is making more of a meaningful impact in limited stretches.
The Blazers big man finished the season averaging 6.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.6 blocks in 19.8 minutes per game. He doesn't have as strong of a case to make regarding counting stats. However, Clingan was buried on a Blazers team that had three starting-level centers and was surprisingly playing meaningful basketball for a significant portion of the season.
If voters value meaningful impact, then Clingan deserves a nod. He has elite per-36 numbers, finishing sixth in rebounds (14.3) and first in blocks (3.0). Additionally, the Blazers' defense surrendered roughly five fewer points per 100 possessions with him on the floor than off.
Every aspect of Clingan's game that made him a coveted prospect and a top-ten pick has translated seamlessly to the NBA. He impacts winning well beyond stats suggest, and everything he did to help lead UConn to back-to-back national championships he's now doing in Portland. His elite rim protection and rebounding have already proven that he should be considered the Blazers' long-term center.
That should be enough to give Clingan an All-Rookie Second Team vote, especially in a historically weak class that has mostly lived up to expectations.