Get to know Donovan Clingan
Donovan Clingan speaks on losing his mother at a young age and his championship journey at UConn before the NBA Draft.
Overview
A native of Bristol, Conn., Clingan averaged 30.3 points, 18.4 boards and 6.2 blocks as a senior in high school. The two-time Gatorade Player of the Year committed to UConn in July of 2021, and also received offers from Michigan, Ohio State, Syracuse and other high-majors. A top-50 player in the 2022 high school class, Clingan was an immediate impact player as a freshman at UConn during the 2022-23 season. His interior scoring, rebounding and high-volume shot-blocking helped propel the Huskies to the 2023 National Championship. Clingan opted to return for his sophomore season, taking on a larger role and posting 13.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.5 blocks en route to another National Championship. The 7-foot-2 center’s raw numbers may not jump off the page, but he played only 22.5 minutes per game as a sophomore due to a deep and talented Huskies roster. Clingan finished the 2023-24 season ranked top 10 nationally in block rate (11.4%), defensive rating (89.4), win shares per 40 minutes (.302) and defensive box plus/minus (6.2).
Analysis
Clingan’s combination of size and defensive awareness makes him one of the best big man prospects in the draft. With a 7-foot-7 wingspan and excellent mobility, Clingan has immense potential as a defender, particularly around the rim. He’s poised to be among the better shot-blockers in the NBA, but could struggle when asked to switch out onto much quicker players. Offensively, Clingan is relatively limited, but he’s a strong finisher inside with good touch for his size. While he doesn’t have a deep arsenal of post moves, Clingan also doesn’t demand the ball, which should bode well for his future as a low-maintenance, defense-first, lob-finisher at the pro level.
Projection
Clingan fits the bill of a plug-and-play lottery pick for most teams, even if he’s not a high-minute player right away. His size and length should allow him to patrol the rim at a borderline-elite level in the NBA. However, the jump up in competition could render Clingan less-imposing than he was for a UConn team that often had a significant talent advantage. On the other end of the floor, Clingan’s offensive game remains a major question mark. Clingan rarely shot the ball outside the paint at UConn and is likely years away from developing a reliable jumpshot. He also shot just 51.7 percent at the free-throw line as a freshman before showing marginal improvement (57.4% FT) as a sophomore. Walker Kessler and Jakob Poeltl are the current NBA players who fit Clingan’s size and skill archetype.
— Profile by RotoWire