Blazers’ Clingan Pick Draws Widely Positive Reviews

The Portland Trail Blazers selected University of Connecticut big man Donovan Clingan with the seventh pick in today’s NBA Draft. The 7’2 force was suggested to go as high as first throughout the pre-draft process.

Clingan joins a Blazers team, sharing center duties with Deandre Ayton, Robert Williams III and Duop Reath.

An hour before the draft the Blazers also traded Malcolm Brogdon and picks to the Washington Wizards for Deni Avdija, however that transaction won’t be official for a while.

Below the pundits give their grades for the Blazers sole selection on the first night of the now two-day event.

Krysten Peek at Yahoo Sports gave the Blazers an A

Clingan has all the tools to be a long-term starting center in the NBA and moves well for his size at 7-foot-2. He is more than a rim-running big and can throw a lot of different options in the pick-and-roll, whether that’s slipping, rolling to the basket, pinning his man or popping out for a jumper.

Ricky O’Donnell at SB Nation gave the Blazers an A

Clingan was in the mix to go No. 1 overall, so this is a great value for Portland at No. 7. Clingan will be one of the tallest, longest, and heaviest players in the NBA from the minute he plays his first game. He has an easy NBA translation as a rim protector on defense, and could evenetually become one of the NBA’s best shot blockers. Clingan seemed a little quicker last season than he was as a freshman, but he’s still mostly a drop coverage big man. Offensively, the 7’2 center doesn’t shoot from the outside and is limited as a run-and-jump athlete, but he’s a very good passer who should help set up Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe for scoring opportunities. Clingan was super productive at the college level while winning back-to-back national championships at UConn.

Ayrton Ostly at USA Today gave the Blazers an A-

Clingan’s 7-foot-7 wingspan is the second-biggest in this class and he’s a dominant presence in the paint on both ends of the court. He could struggle on perimeter defense and his free throw shooting is lacking at this point.

Grade: A-. The Trail Blazers allowed 57.8% shooting from inside the arc, worst in the league, and ranked third-worst in blocks per game. Clingan is one of the most complete players in the class and can have an instant impact on defense and offers a great pick-and-roll partner for Anfernee Simons.

Adam Finkelstein at CBS Sports gave the Blazers an A

This is a best-case scenario for Portland. There was real talk that he could go No. 1. There were teams trying to trade up for him. But the Blazers always wanted him, and he fell to them at 7. He’s a defensive monster with his size, rebounding and shot-blocking, but we don’t talk enough about the offensive potential with his slip passes and ability to put it on the floor. And I believe that shooting could be around the corner. Grade: A

Kyle Irving at The Sporting News gave the Blazers a B

Clingan’s range was as wide as any prospect in this class with the possibility of going as high as first overall. He lands with the Trail Blazers at No. 7, leaving their front office with some decisions to make on Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams III.

Clingan is a massive presence at 7-2, 272 pounds with a 7-7 wingspan. He’s an elite rim protector and shot blocker who rebounds at a high level and poses a threat as a lob-catcher.

Zach Buckley at Bleacher Report gave the Blazers a B.

The Blazers must be thrilled to get Donovan Clingan here. For much of mock-draft season, it felt like the only way they were getting him would be by trading up, yet the defensive anchor fell right in their lap.

If Clingan impacts the NBA game like he did at UConn, he might be a top-10 defense on his own. And Portland could use some paint protection behind young guards Scoot Henderson, Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe.

Clingan is massive (7’2”, 282 lbs) and impossibly long (7’7” wingspan), and he uses his physical tools to control the interior and the glass. Perimeter switching figures to be a challenge for him, but he might be mobile enough to not get played off the floor.

Clingan’s offensive range doesn’t reach beyond the restricted area–he was a 55.8 percent free-throw shooter across two seasons with the Huskies–but it doesn’t need to when he controls the paint and cleans the glass on both ends.

Portland will have some ensuing moves to make with a pair of starting-caliber centers already on its roster (Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams III). But if the Blazers are sold on Clingan’s talent, they were smart to add him at No. 7 and worry about the rest later.

Derek Parker at Sports Illustrated gave the Blazers a B-

The Trail Blazers ultimately held out for their guy in Clingan at No. 7. They were the worst in the NBA at protecting the rim last season and left with the best rim-protecter in the draft. But it’s ultimately a slightly underwhelming pick for a team in need of a major talent boost.

ESPN’s Jeremy Woo named Clingan the pick of the night.

Clingan was a player most teams regarded as a top talent in this draft and a potential long-term cornerstone rim-protector. The way the lottery ended up shaking out — with none of the teams selecting between No. 3 and No. 6 harboring a need for a center — benefited the Trail Blazers greatly, as he wound up falling into their laps at this spot.

From both a value and fit perspective, this was a huge win for Portland, a team that has been building around smaller guards for the past few seasons and will need a defensive presence behind them to make that work. We’ll see what this means for returning centers Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams III.