Portland Trail Blazers big man Donovan Clingan has a strong case to make for an All-Rookie Team, an honor that hasn't been awarded in Portland since Damian Lillard in 2013.
Other rookies around the league may have better counting stats because of their increased roles and opportunities, many of which came on worse teams. But in terms of sheer impact on winning, there weren't ten rookies more effective than the UConn product this season. The Blazers were 17-21 (.447) with and 19-25 (.432) without Clingan in the starting lineup, proving he's already more than capable of taking on that role going forward.
If Clingan does receive an All-Rookie honor, it seems likely that he would be on the Second Team. However, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic somewhat surprisingly has Clingan on his All-Rookie First Team, giving him the nod over Miami Heat's Kel'el Ware. Vecenie recently discussed his reasoning behind the Clingan selection with Bryce Simon on The Game Theory Podcast.
"I feel like Clingan has been a little bit more impactful on winning basketball because of the defensive end of the court. I still don't feel like Ware is very good on that end of the court, whereas Clingan is pretty impactful in terms of being able to play drop. He's awesome with his angles -- he's like a savant in terms of being able to figure out how to play in drop and use his size to his advantage," said Vecenie.
Clingan’s drop coverage and physical tools give him All-Defense potential
But the praise for Clingan on the defensive end didn't stop there, with Vecenie adding, "he has a real chance to develop into an All-Defense guy."
Despite being in his rookie season, Clingan has already posted some elite statistics that support Vecenie's claim. Opposing teams scored nearly five fewer points per 100 possessions when Clingan was on the court.
It's not just the 1.6 blocked shots per game, either. Clingan does a tremendous job utilizing his physical tools and basketball IQ to contest shots, an extremely undervalued trait in big men. Players shot just 49 percent at the rim when he's the closest defender, which, for context, is similar to four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert's peak numbers.
It seems like the DPOY award, barring another unfortunate setback to Victor Wembanyama, will stick in San Antonio for quite some time. But as Vecenie notes, Clingan does possess legitimate All-Defense potential.
His impact when on the court is already near that level, as he's sixth in rebounds and first in blocks per 36 minutes. But the one key to reaching this ceiling will be Clingan's conditioning.
As is the case with any 7-foot-2, 280-pound human, Clingan is flat-footed, which makes him vulnerable out on the perimeter to quicker guards. He also played just 19.8 minutes per game as a rookie, similar to his sophomore season at UConn.
The on-court impact is already there, and he deserves to win All-Rookie because of it, but there's yet another level to be unlocked in Clingan's game. If he does reach it, All-Rookie could be just the first of many prestigious awards Clingan goes on to win throughout his career.