(Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
There’s nothing certain about the NBA Draft.
More often than not, players end up proving scouts wrong, either because they don’t turn out to be as good as expected or because they fare better than those taken before them.
Hopefully, that will be the case for the Portland Trail Blazers with Donovan Clingan.
Despite being in the mix as a potential top-three pick for most of the pre-draft process — and despite some people having him as the potential No. 1 pick — Clingan slipped all the way to No. 7.
The Blazers were reportedly always quite high on him and didn’t hesitate to take him.
When asked about that and the fact that he fell all the way to the seventh spot, it was evident that he was resentful.
Talking to SiriusXM NBA Radio, he claimed that he was looking forward to proving the doubters wrong in Portland (via ClutchPoints).
“I feel certain ways about myself and how talented I am and the future I have ahead of me, but other teams might not have saw that”
Donovan Clingan talks about being selected by Portland and overlooked by other teams
(Via @SiriusXMNBA)
pic.twitter.com/dPhGCpnOsy
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 29, 2024
Clingan comes with an accomplished résumé in college.
He helped the UConn Huskies win back-to-back NCAA Championships.
His rim protection and physical tools are remarkable, but he’s also a willing and intelligent passer for a player of his position.
Also, while he needs to be more consistent from beyond the arc, he’s shown some touch as a long-range shooter as well.
This may also be telling about the fact that the Blazers may not be that high on Deandre Ayton after a single season with the organization, and it’ll be interesting to see if any other team is willing to take a chance on him next season or how will they handle his minutes with Clingan in the mix.
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