Donovan Clingan has been played off the court on numerous occasions throughout the Trail Blazers' playoff series against the Spurs. Portland is on the brink of elimination with the series at 3-1, and Clingan has not helped their chances of pulling off the first-round upset. Through those four games, he's averaging just 6.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 0.8 blocks.
His production has declined across the board at the worst possible time for Portland, but the most concerning stat could very well be the 20.0 minutes per game he's averaging. That's over a seven-minute decline compared to his regular-season average, highlighting how much Clingan has been at a matchup disadvantage throughout the series.
Spurs are playing Donovan Clingan off the court
Part of that is simply a testament to how unique a talent Victor Wembanyama is, as it's only a matter of time before San Antonio's superstar is universally considered the best player in the league. But even in the Game 3 matchup in which Wembanyama sat out due to concussion protocols, Clingan was still a non-factor.
That was essentially a must-win game for Portland, which had to capitalize on playing at home against a shorthanded Spurs team. It was also supposed to be the game where Clingan finally imposed his will on the series. Instead, Portland's center played 20 minutes, finishing with seven points.
His minutes have gradually declined as the series has progressed, playing just 14 minutes in Game 4. Clingan has seemingly lost Tiago Splitter's trust in this series, and the Blazers now must at least consider starting Robert Williams III in a win-or-go-home situation.
As we saw in Game 3, it's not just the Wembanyama matchup that's causing problems for Clingan. In fact, Jrue Holiday and Toumani Camara have done a serviceable job holding their own on the defensive end when matched up against him. Rather, it's San Antonio's stacked, underrated backcourt that's largely keeping Clingan off the court.
The Spurs are leading the postseason in three-point efficiency (42.3 percent), and Clingan can't close out quickly enough to contest.
His strengths as a drop coverage big are truly elite. He's already a premier rebounder and rim protector in just his second season, becoming a key part of Portland's established defensive identity.
But if Clingan can't stay on the court against San Antonio, then what's this all for?
If Portland wants to make a deep playoff run in the coming seasons, they'll inevitably have to go through the Spurs. Both San Antonio and the Oklahoma City Thunder are seemingly set to contend for the next decade, barring unfortunate injuries. The Blazers need to consider how they match up against these teams when constructing their roster, considering the conflicting timelines.
This playoff series was just the beginning of what will be a lot of fun, competitive matchups between Portland and San Antonio as both teams continue their upward trajectories. Where does Clingan fit into the picture?
This isn't something he can fix next offseason, as it has more to do with his player archetype. That's still incredibly valuable in a regular-season setting, as Clingan can play to his strengths in particular matchups. It doesn't become as effective in a playoff setting, when teams can specifically game-plan to expose his weaknesses and play him off the court.
We'll see what adjustments Splitter makes in Game 5, but at this point, it's a bigger problem than just one playoff series. Most concerningly, it's a problem that's threatening their entire long-term outlook, given how important Clingan has become to this rebuild.
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