Donovan Clingan will unfortunately never be the best rim protector in the NBA. That's not his fault, to be fair — he just happens to be in the league at the same time as Victor Wembanyama, who is trending toward being the best rim protector in the history of the league.
But as March comes to a close, and Cling Kong closes out another completely dominant month, it's at least fair to raise the question; is he one of the five best rim protectors in the league? How about top three?
It gets less crazy by the day. Clingan averaged 2.5 blocks per game in March after averaging 2.3 per game in February. For the season, he's averaging 1.7 swats per game. Plus, with the Blazers posting the fourth-best defensive rating in the league after the All-Star break, it's not as though Clingan is going all-out for blocks while his team is down 20 every night. This defense is legit and Clingan is the foundation for that.
Clingan came into this league with the potential to be a defensive anchor. From his first few games, Blazers fans knew that scouting report was accurate. It took Clingan a bit of time to get regular starter minutes (as it usually does for rookie centers) but even as he was working his way into the rotation, his impact jumped off the screen. It's not a surprise to Blazers fans that Clingan has quickly developed into a top-tier defender.
Donovan Clingan might be a top-five rim protector
Who else would be in this discussion? Chet Holmgren, Rudy Gobert, and Evan Mobley are all in the conversation — and probably all have arguments (and the resumes) to be placed ahead of D.C.
After that... Is there anyone else in the league we can say with confidence has more of an impact around the rim than the Blazers' big man? Myles Turner is not the force he was a few years ago in Indiana, Isaiah Stewart is a tone-setter in Detroit but isn't the overall defender that Clingan is, and Ryan Kalkbrenner has a chance to be elite but might take a few years to get there.
In other words, it's probably more of a stretch to leave Clingan out of the "top five rim protector" than it is to put him in that circle. His block rate may be down this year, but his foul rate is way down. He's taking less risks and has become a more consistent defender because of it.