Donovan Clingan was recently named the unsung hero for this Portland Trail Blazers roster by ESPN's NBA insiders. They highlighted Portland's improved defense with Clingan anchoring the middle, as well as the fact that he's one of only eight players to average a double-double this season.
Clingan is only in his second season and wasn't expected to make this much of a two-way impact early on. But improved conditioning level and a surprising three-point shot, combined with underrated court vision, have Clingan rising up the rankings in terms of importance to Portland's rebuild.
That raises the question: how did Portland land this guy again?
Blazers absolutely stole Donovan Clingan in the draft
Coming off back-to-back NCAA national championships, Clingan entered a 2024 draft class that was widely considered to be historically weak. Everyone saw the key role he played in those championship runs, yet he somehow still fell to pick No. 7?
In a re-draft, Clingan should be firmly inside the top three. That's exactly how Portland viewed him entering the draft, with Blazers insider Sean Highkin even mentioning his "strong suspicion" that Clingan was the top-ranked player on their board.
Portland wasn't the only one valuing Clingan this highly. He was even being considered by the Atlanta Hawks with the No. 1 overall selection. This draft class still has a long way to go in their collective careers, but it's already become apparent that Clingan would've been the better choice over Zaccharie Risacher.
Portland's front office deserves credit not only in their evaluation of Clingan, but also in their decision to stand pat at pick No. 7. They easily could've traded up to secure the prospect they wanted all along, but their patience paid off, in part because many teams selecting ahead of them already had their center position solidified.
Stealing Clingan in a weak draft was exactly what Portland's rebuild needed. It remains to be seen how their prior top ten picks, Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson, pan out. Sharpe has put up impressive numbers this season, but I don't know how that translates to a contending team. There are even more question marks surrounding Henderson, as his inconsistent play and non-linear development have been a cloud over this entire rebuild.
But by landing Clingan the following year, the Blazers finally drafted a legitimate building block. Someone they know can be a starting-caliber player on the championship version of whatever this final roster may look like.
That's a major discovery for someone who's just 22 years old and still has plenty of time to grow. And it should be a scary thought for the rest of the league, as Clingan continues to prove his ceiling is higher than anyone expected.