Donovan Clingan is already earning his spot as the Portland Trail Blazers starting center of the future. In his second season, we're already seeing Clingan's impact on winning at a high level through his elite rebounding and rim protection. He's even drawn comparisons to Rudy Gobert in terms of opponent field-goal percentage at the rim, a testament to Portland's having a true defensive anchor.
However, there's one thing standing in the way of Clingan becoming Gobert on the defensive end: lateral mobility.
Clingan is flat-footed at 7-foot-2, 280 pounds, which makes him a defensive liability out on the perimeter that teams like to exploit. Relative to his size, Gobert is capable of holding his own, but Clingan gets played off the floor when teams are constantly hunting for the mismatch.
This is admittedly an extreme example, as Stephen Curry is the best shooter of all time, but we just saw it happen in Portland's 136-131 win over Golden State. Clingan was limited to 22 minutes because he didn't match up well with the Warriors and head coach Steve Kerr's style of play. The Warriors shot an absurd 24-47 (51%) from beyond the arc, with Curry contributing half of those makes on his own, going 12-of-19.
Part of this could be the defensive scheme interim head coach Tiago Splitter has Clingan playing. They have him in drop coverage a lot to utilize his presence in the paint. But that also is to mask his weakness as someone who lacks the mobility to keep up with the guards in today's NBA.
Backup center Robert Williams III is much more defensively versatile at 6-foot-9, and it's no surprise that Williams was a +7 in 19 minutes while Clingan finished with a team-worst -9.
Blazers lose a key defensive dimension if they trade Robert Williams III
This is what Portland needs to seriously consider when exploring trade options for Williams. He's viewed as a trade candidate this season, with reports that Portland is more willing to trade him than last season. That could be due to a number of factors, including his injury history, expiring contract, Clingan's ascension, and the Yang Hansen selection.
But while some may view Williams to be expendable in Portland's crowded frontcourt, this game against the Warriors showed the differing skillset he has to offer. Without him in the picture, Portland has no versatility at the center position. Duop Reath has completely fallen out of the rotation, Clingan can't keep up with guards, and Hansen is even worse at this point in his career. He's straight BBQ chicken, as Shaquille O'Neal would say.
ESPN's Bobby Marks recently suggested that Portland should trade one of Williams or Matisse Thybulle to address their lackluster defense by adding someone with a less extensive injury history who is more reliable. But if Portland truly wants to get back to its defensive identity, I don't think trading Williams is a step in the right direction.
Elite defensive teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder have multiple dimensions to their defenders, matching rotation changes like it's a chess match. By trading Williams, Portland loses that dimensionality. They would only have two options: small ball or a traditional center. Williams is the middle-ground option they need. That's why they should consider keeping him around in Rip City.