Shocking stat further proves why Donovan Clingan was the draft's safest bet

The Portland Trail Blazers were unlucky in the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery. They finished with a 21-61 record in the 2023-24 season, which was tied with the Charlotte Hornets for the third worst in the league. Then, they lost a "coin flip" to the Hornets, which caused them to be one spot behind Charlotte, as the teams fell to picks No. 6 and 7.

However, on draft day, the Blazers had a silver lining—Donovan Clingan was still on the board. Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report has previously stated that he has a "strong suspicion" that Clingan was the top-ranked draft prospect on their big board heading into the draft, so for him to still be available without them having to sacrifice any assets to trade up was a steal.

The Blazers already had a crowded center position. Still, GM Joe Cronin was set on taking the best player available this early on in the rebuild to accumulate as many assets as possible and figure the rest out later.

Donovan Clingan has the highest floor in the 2024 draft class

Time will tell if Clingan turns out to be the best player in the 2024 draft class. Some players that were taken ahead of him are incredibly young and have higher ceilings if they ever pan out. But Clingan is already looking to be the safest pick with the highest floor. We expected this to be the case, even during the pre-draft process.

Part of what made Clingan such a coveted prospect was that the skills he excelled at in his two years at UConn were translatable to the NBA, where he could make an immediate impact as a 7-foot-2 defensive anchor. He's been as advertised for Portland. Through four games, Clingan has averaged 4.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks. Those aren't eye-catching numbers, but it's impressive, considering he's been able to make that level of impact in just 13 minutes per game.

In almost any other draft class, those stats wouldn't be good enough to be considered the safest pick in the draft. But this rookie class, as many scouts and analysts have anticipated and said all along, is historically weak. Not a single rookie has scored at least 15 points in a game so far this season.

No rookie has managed to score 15 points in a game so far

This statistic was brought forth by Yahoo Sports' Tom Haberstroh (who also appears on the Blazers' broadcasts as their analytics insider). He noted, "We have never gone this deep into the season with a rookie failing to score a measly 15 points in an NBA game." Haberstroh added, "We typically see about nine such performances at this point in the season, sometimes as many as 17."

It's apparent that the rookie class isn't making an offensive impact at the start of the season. Reed Sheppard looked excellent in the offseason but hasn't been given much opportunity to showcase his talents, averaging less than ten minutes a game in a crowded Houston backcourt. Zaccharie Risacher is just 19 years old and was always going to be a developmental project, at least relative to No. 1 overall picks in years past that typically make more of an immediate impact.

These types of players could eventually become impactful, but the key word is "could." With Clingan, you know exactly what you are getting—someone with a limited offensive game that relies heavily on guards to set him up but an underrated passer with a high basketball IQ. He more than makes up for any offensive question marks with his elite size, rebounding, and rim protection that helps you win the possession battle.

The Blazers still need to find an All-Star or two to build around. But if this telling stat is any indication, 2024 wasn't the year to take a gamble on a high-risk, high-reward player. Portland should be thrilled to land "Cling Kong."