5 Takeaways from the Trail Blazers' 5 Summer League games
By Reese Kunz
The Portland Trail Blazers went 3-2 in the Las Vegas Summer League. The Summer League is especially entertaining when it's a rebuilding team with a high draft pick like the Blazers and Donovan Clingan. This summer further solidified the fact that Clingan was a steal at pick No. 7. His stellar play was certainly the highlight for the Blazers, but they also had a few low points.
1. Donovan Clingan's strengths translate to the NBA level
Clingan played in four of the Blazers' five games. In those games, he averaged 9.0 points, 12.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 4.3 blocks in 25.4 minutes per game. Clingan's numbers were on a historical level for Summer League. He had the most rebounds per game this summer and the most blocks per game in the history of the Summer League, surpassing Victor Wembanyama's four blocks a game. If you're passing Wemby in anything, you're already off to a great start in your NBA career.
Clingan's rebounding and rim protecting is what made him viewed by many to be a steal for the Blazers at No. 7. It gave him a higher floor than many other top prospects in the unpredictable class. Clingan picked up right where he left off at UConn, and his productivity should also translate to the regular season for his rookie year.