PORTLAND, Ore. — The Trail Blazers, about two hours after agreeing to a trade to bring two-way small forward Deni Advija to Portland, selected UConn sophomore center Donovan Clingan with the seventh overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday.
Clingan, 20, who worked out for the Blazers during the predraft process, was the third-ranked prospect in the draft by ESPN. Standing 7-foot-3 in shoes with a 7-8 wingspan and 9-8 standing reach, Clingan is a massive defensive presence in the paint and was a key player in UConn's national championship run. He averaged 13.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in only 22.5 minutes per game last season.
In the minutes before the Blazers drafted Clingan at No. 7, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN and Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported that the Memphis Grizzlies and Blazers were both trying to trade up with the Charlotte Hornets to draft Clingan at No. 6. But Charlotte opted instead to stay put and drafted Tidjane Salaun, a forward out of France, leaving Clingan to fall to the Blazers at No. 7.
The Blazers zeroed in on Clingan long before draft night. Blazers general manager Joe Cronin spoke to the media after the draft and said the team's scouts started to talk in glowing terms about Clingan last season when he was a freshman. When he was available with the seventh pick, Cronin said drafting Clingan was "one of the easier selections we're ever going to make." He wouldn't say how high Clingan was on Portland's draft board, but said "we had him higher than we took him."
Sam Vecenie, draft expert for The Athletic, had Clingan ranked fourth on his draft board. He wrote that Clingan could be an all-defensive performer for the Blazers.
"He has All-Defense-caliber upside," Vecenie wrote Wednesday. "He's utterly enormous and is elite at executing drop pick-and-roll coverage. He takes up and immense amount of space in the lane and his sheer presence should give his team strong defensive minutes around the rim. I also think there's more to Clingan offensively than meets the eye. He's a sharp passer and playmaker away from the rim, sees the court well and is a strong screener. His presence on the court will help everyone else on the team in subtle ways."
After Clingan was drafted, ESPN, which broadcasted the draft, talked about his mother, who died in 2018 from breast cancer. ESPN's Malika Andrews, a University of Portland alum, said Clingan's motivation to become a great player came from the passing of his mother.
"That's when he decided to really get serious about basketball, working on and really honing his skills," Andrews said. "And he said of this moment, that when his name is called, 'I'll be able to say my mom is proud of me.' She certainly is, and the Trail Blazers are getting a tremendous talent."
Clingan, speaking to ESPN after he was drafted, showed the inside of his suit jacket, which was lined with pictures of he and his mother, and talked about her impact in his life.
"I know she's super proud of me. I know she's smiling down," he said. "This is everything I've worked for my entire life and just to hear my name called, it doesn't feel real. I got my mama over here on my side at all times; she's looking down at me. She's smiling. I know she's proud."
He spoke to the media after he was drafted and said he's excited about joining the Blazers.
"I'm really excited. I've been watching the league the last couple years and see the talent that they have, the potential this team has going forward," Clingan said. "I'm really excited to get to work. Really excited to build a great relationship with the staff, my teammates and everyone in the building. I want to learn every day. I want to grow every day. I want to try to bring championships back to Portland."
A question some national pundits asked after Clingan's selection is how he fits into a crowded center rotation in Portland that includes starting center Deandre Ayton, backup Duop Reath, and if he can stay healthy, Robert Williams. "How soon until Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams get traded?" wrote Kevin O'Connor of the Ringer.
Ayton averaged 16.7 points and 11.1 rebounds per game for the Blazers last season and got better as the season went on. After the All-Star break, he averaged 22.7 points and 12.5 rebounds per game. Williams played only six games for Portland last season due to injuries, but when healthy, he's a valuable player, especially on defense. He was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2022. Both Ayton and Williams have two years left on their contracts.
After the draft, Cronin addressed a question about Clingan's potential role with the Blazers. He said Portland isn't good enough to be content at any one position.
"We're still in such a talent acquisition mode, that we're not super concerned about who's playing ahead of who, or who's playing next to who," he said. "It was more, for Donovan, get a really talented guy who addresses some huge needs for us, specifically rim protection, defense, rebounding, offensive rebounding.
"We're building a competitive culture," Cronin continued. "We want these guys to come in and compete and earn whatever minutes and roles they get. When you're a rebuilding team like we are and you're trying to take that next step, we need guys who are capable of coming in and winning jobs. That's what we're looking forward to is being more competitive."
Ayton didn't seem fazed by the Blazers drafting a player at his position so high. He posted a comment on the video the Blazers posted to Instagram of Clingan being drafted and gave his stamp of approval with one word: "Yessir!!!!!🙌"
The NBA Draft continues Thursday with the second round. The Blazers have two selections in the second round at No. 34 and No. 40. The draft starts at 1 p.m. and will air on ESPN and ABC.
2024 NBA Draft, first round, order and results
- Atlanta Hawks: Zaccharie Risacher, forward, France
- Washington Wizards: Alex Sarr, forward/center, France
- Houston Rockets: Reed Sheppard, guard, Kentucky
- San Antonio Spurs: Stephon Castle, guard, UConn
- Detroit Pistons: Ron Holland, forward, G League Ignite
- Charlotte Hornets: Tidjane Salaun, forward, France
- Portland Trail Blazers: Donovan Clingan, center, UConn
- Minnesota Timberwolves (via San Antonio Spurs): Rob Dillingham, guard, Kentucky
- Memphis Grizzlies: Zach Edey, center, Purdue
- Utah Jazz: Cody Williams, forward, Colorado
- Chicago Bulls: Matas Buzelis, forward, G League Ignite
- Oklahoma City Thunder: Nikola Topic, guard, Serbia
- Sacramento Kings: Devin Carter, guard, Providence
- Washington Wizards (via Portland Trail Blazers): Bub Carrington, guard, Pittsburgh
- Miami Heat: Kel'el Ware, power forward/center, Indiana
- Philadelphia 76ers: Jared McCain, guard, Duke
- Los Angeles Lakers: Dalton Knecht, guard/forward, Tennessee
- Orlando Magic: Tristan da Silva, forward, Colorado
- Toronto Raptors: Ja'Kobe Walter, guard, Baylor
- Cleveland Cavaliers: Jaylon Tyson, guard/forward, California
- New Orleans Pelicans: Yves Missi, center, Baylor
- Denver Nuggets (via Phoenix Suns): DaRon Holmes II, center, Dayton
- Milwaukee Bucks: AJ Johnson, guard, Illawarra Hawks (NBL Australia)
- Washington Wizards (via New York Knicks): Kyshawn George, forward, Miami
- New York Knicks: Pacôme Dadiet, guard/forward, France
- Oklahoma City Thunder (via New York Knicks): Dillon Jones, guard/forward, Weber State
- Minnesota Timberwolves: Terrence Shannon Jr., guard, Illinois
- Phoenix Suns (via Denver Nuggets): Ryan Dunn, forward, Virginia
- Utah Jazz: Isaiah Collier, guard, USC
- Boston Celtics: Baylor Scheierman, guard/forward, Creighton
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