Rookie Victor Wembanyama has been pretty great to start the season and is looking like he could use some help. Whether that means from his guards or a good defensive big, there are plenty of options in the 2024 NBA Draft. One of those options could include UConn big man Donovan Clingan.
The 7-foot-2, 280-pound sophomore has gotten off to a solid start this season. Many scouts and draftniks think he is in line for a major breakout as he played behind Adama Sanogo all of last year and was one of the most efficient players when he was on the court. He will be asked to play a lot more minutes this season and it seems that he has been up to the task so far. Here are his stats through five games.
- 11.8 PPG, 2.2 BPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.0 APG
- 60.5 FG%, 44.8 FT%
- 32.9 PER, 127.9 ORtg, 83.0 DRtg
Donovan Clingan Breakdown
Clingan moves quite well for someone his size and despite playing drop coverage on every screen, he covers so much space that it doesn’t really matter. He won’t be asked to switch at the NBA level, but his inability to defend guards will likely be used against him. That’s not to say he is a stiff by any means, especially as he’s been a great defender even in his expanded role. He could be a nice true center to pair with Wembanyama as he will attract attention in the paint and free up some space for him.
A major swing skill for Clingan will be if he can start hitting mid-range jumpers. If he can do that consistently or even show some improvement in that regard, his stock should take quite a leap. However, his early free throw shooting numbers do not give feelings of great confidence yet. Having said that, his mechanics seem to be fine, but the ball just isn’t falling yet.
Clingan is a likely lottery target and so finds himself squarely within range of the Spurs’ picks next year. He would be another experimental piece to pair with Wembenyama and could provide another huge screener for guys like Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan, and Tre Jones.
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