The Portland Trail Blazers improved to 2-1 in the Summer League after winning a close 82-80 game over the Washington Wizards. Although the win doesn't mean much, seeing the Blazers' up-and-coming prospects play well is still encouraging. One particular player that Blazers fans focus on is the No. 7 overall pick, Donovan Clingan.
Donovan Clingan's impactful Summer League
In the last game, Clingan matched up against No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr. Clingan's defense, as usual, was on full display, limiting Sarr to 0-15 shooting from the field.
7'2" Donovan Clingan protecting the rim for Portland 💪
— NBA (@NBA) July 17, 2024
WAS-POR on NBA TV | #NBA2KSummerLeague pic.twitter.com/VtsuKPk2Fv
Clingan didn't have a great shooting night, either, going 3-10 from the field. But he had 13 rebounds and five blocks and impacted the game in multiple ways outside of the box score as well.
Clingan had similar performances in the prior two games. Against the 76ers, the 7-foot-2 center recorded eight points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and three blocks. In their sole loss to the Spurs, Clingan had four points, 13 rebounds, one assist, one steal, and five blocks. His defensive and passing traits are impressive and have translated so far in the Summer League.
Ronnie Burrell joins Blazers as an assistant coach
In other news, Ronnie Burrell is now on Chauncey Billups' coaching staff as an assistant coach, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. He's the Trail Blazers' third assistant coach hired this summer, joining Nate Bjorkgren and Chris Fleming to give the Blazers and Billups a new look as they improve on their lackluster 21-win season.
Burrell was previously with the Brooklyn Nets for the past five seasons. He worked his way up initially starting as a video and player development assistant in 2018. More recently, he was the 2023-23 NBA G League Coach of the Year, finally joining the Nets coaching staff as an assistant in 2023 after his success in the G League.
Blazers NBA Cup groups announced
The NBA announced details for the second-ever NBA Cup for the 2024-25 season, which will be held from November 12th to December 3rd. Six groups (three West and three East) are selected based on last season's standings.
West groups
- A: Timberwolves, Clippers, Kings, Rockets and Trail Blazers
- B: Thunder, Suns, Lakers, Jazz and Spurs
- C: Nuggets, Mavericks, Pelicans, Warriors and Grizzlies
East groups
- A: Knicks, Magic, Sixers, Nets and Hornets
- B: Bucks, Pacers, Heat, Raptors and Pistons
- C: Celtics, Cavaliers, Bulls, Hawks and Wizards
Teams play a game against each team in their group. One team emerges from each group to the knockout round, as well as the team with the best record of the three groups that didn't win their group. At first glance, West Group C seems the strongest. The Grizzlies were technically supposed to be the weak team but should be much improved next season with a healthier roster.
It will be very challenging for the Blazers to make the knockout round, with the Timberwolves seeming like the favorites to represent West Group A.