Trail Blazers 2024 NBA Draft Big Board: Lottery rankings for Rip City
By Reese Kunz
Tier 2: Please fall to the Blazers
No. 5: Donovan Clingan, UConn
Of the two prospects in this tier, UConn center Donovan Clingan is the most likely to be available for the Blazers at pick No. 7. Clingan is even being considered by the Atlanta Hawks at pick No. 1. Still, he could fall in the draft if no teams trade up to snag him since the teams picking before Portland - Houston, San Antonio, Detroit, and Charlotte - all have established centers. If Clingan does happen to fall to the Blazers, they will likely select the back-to-back NCAA national champion. According to ESPN's Zach Lowe, Clingan to the Blazers at No. 7 is viewed as his "absolute floor."
No. 4: Stephon Castle, UConn
Stephon Castle views himself as a point guard in the NBA, which could make the fit with the Trail Blazers more questionable. However, regardless of positional fit, the Blazers should be thrilled if he somehow falls to No. 7. Castle is a rare guard prospect who can impact winning without needing the ball in his hands, as evidenced at UConn.
If he could buy into playing off-ball, he'd be an excellent addition next to Henderson and Sharpe. He has tremendous positional size at 6-foot-6 and is arguably the best two-way guard in the entire draft due to his defensive versatility.