The Portland Trail Blazers returned a similar roster this year, with Deni Avdija and Donovan Clingan being the only two additions. So far in 2024-25, both players have been great for Portland defensively. Avdija isn't shooting the ball well. However, he's still impacting the game in other aspects with his physicality, versatility, playmaking, and defense, averaging 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks per game.
Meanwhile, Clingan isn't playing significant minutes (12.9 per game) as he still needs to improve his conditioning, but he is still managing to leave his mark on the game, particularly in his role as a defensive anchor. Clingan's impact is helping the Blazers rank highly in one crucial category.
Trail Blazers rank second in opponent points in the paint
Last season, the Blazers ranked 24th in this department, surrendering an average of 53.5 paint points per game. Here's where they stack up early on in 2024-25:
Rank | Team | Opp pts paint |
|---|---|---|
1 | LA Clippers | 39.3 |
2 | Portland Trail Blazers | 40.6 |
3 | Atlanta Hawks | 42.0 |
4 | San Antonio Spurs | 42.0 |
5 | Dallas Mavericks | 42.7 |
Clingan is making an impact despite limited role
In his limited minutes, Clingan averages 4.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game, which is tied with Jerami Grant for the most blocks on the team. Clingan is averaging one block per every eight minutes played. Impressively, that's higher than Oklahoma City Thunder big man Chet Holmgren, who is currently leading the league in blocks per game at 3.3 in 28.8 minutes played (an average of one block every 8 minutes and 42 seconds).
Clingan still needs to refine aspects of his game, specifically his conditioning and offensive limitations, as he is reliant on others to set him up for easy buckets. However, his contribution on the defensive end at the NBA level, with his rebounding and rim protection as a 7-foot-2 big man, was immediately apparent from the time he put on the Blazers jersey. That's a major reason why he should be considered the safest prospect to come out of the 2024 draft class, which has looked historically bad to start the season.
This opposing team paint points per game statistic is just one of many examples of why Clingan should be considered Portland's long-term starting center. It remains to be seen what happens with Deandre Ayton, but the fact that Clingan is impacting the game at such a high level and Ayton is the highest-paid player on the Blazers' roster are two major reasons why it could make sense to eventually move him if there is a market and teams are willing to take on such a hefty contract.
But for now, the Blazers have a nice one-two punch going at the center position. Ayton and Clingan complement each other in a lot of ways. Ayton's strengths and weaknesses are almost polar opposite to those of Clingans, with the exception that both centers are great rebounders.
Ayton's bread and butter is his scoring and midrange game. Clingan is raw offensively but provides another dimension with his overall intangibles, passing, and, as evidenced by the team's significantly improved statistic so far this season, rim protection.