In the Portland Trail Blazers blowout loss to the Houston Rockets on Friday, rookie center Donovan Clingan was among the bright spots. The rookie posted nine points, seven rebounds, one assist, and two blocked shots.
With his first block in the game, Clingan broke a Trail Blazers rookie franchise record, passing the legendary Bill Walton in the process. This extended his streak of games with a blocked shot to 16, moving him ahead of Walton, who blocked at least one shot during the first 15 games of his rookie year in 1974-75.
This new record set by Clingan is just another accomplishment for the rookie early on in his career. While the Trail Blazers aren't likely to be that competitive for the remainder of the season, Clingan could be one of the best parts to watch.
He has been showing a strong presence inside the painted area and it's resulted in great success for him. Portland heavily believes in the upside of Clingan and he likely will see an increased amount of minutes moving forward.
What makes his performance thus far this season so special is the fact that Clingan hasn't been playing too many minutes. He has been averaging 16.5 per game as Portland tries to work him into their loaded frontcourt rotation plans.
For the year, the rookie has averaged 6.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 0.2 assists, 0.5 steals, and 2.1 blocks per game. Clingan has become a menace at stopping shots at the rim and it's been great to see.
Portland drafted Clingan with the No. 7 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft out of the University of Connecticut. The team was ecstatic when he was still on the draft board at pick No. 7 and they have spent every day since trying to develop him fully.
The biggest issue has been playing time as Portland has a logjam of big men to work with. Alongside Deandre Ayton and Robert WIlliams III, Clingan has been fighting to see time on the court around the veterans.
However, if he continues to play at such a high level, the Trail Blazers will have to play him more. It's in their best interest to have Clingan getting reps at the NBA level and learning as much about what it takes to play in the league as possible.