PORTLAND, Ore. — Through three games at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, one thing has been clear for the Portland Trail Blazers: rookie center Donovan Clingan is going to bring it on defense.
Clingan had another strong defensive outing in the Blazers' 82-80 win against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night. He had eight points, 13 rebounds, five blocked shots and two assists. The Blazers outscored the Wizards by nine points when Clingan was on the court, and he helped hold Washington rookie Alex Sarr, the No. 2 overall pick, scoreless as Sarr missed all 15 of his shot attempts.
The No. 7 overall pick is averaging 12.3 rebounds and 4.3 blocks through the first three summer-league games. Clingan's offensive struggles continued Tuesday as he made just three of 10 shots from the field (though he did make his first 3-pointer). He's shooting 27.6% from the field so far, so there's clear room for improvement on that end of the court. But on defense, the 7-foot-2 center has shown an ability to consistently shut down the paint, protect the rim and gobble up rebounds.
Bryce McGowens, one of two players who signed a two-way contract with the Blazers this offseason, led Portland in scoring Tuesday with 19 points in 19 minutes off the bench. He's the leading scorer through three games in summer-league competition at 15.7 points per game.
Second-year wing Rayan Rupert had a strong outing with 16 points, four rebounds and two assists. Kris Murray, also entering his second season in Portland, had seven points, nine rebounds and four assists, and two-way player Justin Minaya had eight points, four rebounds and two assists.
Starting point guard Kennedy Chandler, a non-roster player on the Blazers' summer-league team, had 12 points and five rebounds.
The Wizards were led by rookie guard Bub Carrington, who had 20 points, five assists and four rebounds. He was drafted with the 14th overall selection, the pick the Blazers traded to the Wizards in the deal that brought Deni Avdija to Portland.