Apr 11, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan (23) scores a basket during the second half against the Golden State Warriors at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Blazers 2024 Draft Pick Graded Highly in Re-Draft By Insider

Originally posted on Portland Trail Blazers on SI
By Ryan Stano | Last updated Aug 26, 2025 6:00 PM ET

The Portland Trail Blazers have been trying to figure out what kind of players they want to build around long-term. They have been in the draft lottery for each of the last few years, so they have a lot of talented, young players.

One of those players is center Donovan Clingan. Clingan was drafted seventh overall in the 2024 NBA Draft out of UConn. It was a pick that the Blazers made in order to get some rim protection.

Clingan is now seen as a better pick than he was last year. One NBA pundit believes that he should have been taken even higher than he was last year.

Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan gets a higher draft grade one year later

While redrafting the 2024 NBA Draft, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic ended up taking Clingan fifth overall, two spots higher than where he was actually selected by Portland.

The Blazers drafted him with the idea that he eventually could be the starting center of the future. When they made the decision to buy out Deandre Ayton, that was done with Clingan in mind.

Now, Clingan will be thrust into that role just in his second year in the league. He has to prove that he can stay healthy, as he had some problems staying on the court last season.

Clingan is going to have a lot on his shoulders next season. He will be the starting center, and Yang Hansen is likely going to be the backup behind him as a rookie.

Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan has a chance to outplay his draft spot

Vecenie believes Clingan will contribute to winning, and that's why he has the best chance to outplay this draft slot.

"I would have voted Clingan first-team All-Rookie last year. He was tremendous on the defensive end, particularly in the back half of the year after he got a chance to play following Deandre Ayton’s injury. He’s not going to be the sexiest player statistically, but he has a serious chance to impact winning."

As a rookie last season, Clingan averaged 6.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game. He shot 53.9 percent from the field, but just 28.6 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.