Donovan Clingan: The Colossus of the Court
Donovan Clingan has been absolutely dominant for UConn but don't let his physical presence distract from the fact that he's one of the most well-rounded centers in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Outlier size and strength can be such a difficult combination to properly evaluate in the college game. In college, it tends to lead to substantial production given the sheer physical advantage. More often than not, though, we consistently see that same player fall to the wayside when trying to translate to the NBA where their outlier physical traits are now more like the norm. Those who do end up translating, though, showcase more than just being big by also implementing various traits across the spectrum from high defensive awareness to nimble footwork to outside shooting to creative passing. UConn’s sophomore center, Donovan Clingan, has looked like one of these special prospects who is far more than just a colossus on the court as he continues to climb up 2024 NBA Draft boards.
Last season, Clingan quickly emerged as one of the delightful oddities in college basketball. Despite playing just 13.1 minutes per game, Clingan consistently dominated the interior and produced outlandish defensive metrics. What was even more shocking, though, was that Clingan seemingly came out of nowhere. Well, nowhere is a bit hyperbolic, but he far surpassed expectations. Coming out of high school, Clingan was a four-star recruit, but he only ranked 56th overall and 16th at his position, per ESPN. Clingan was so dominant in his limited minutes that some outlets were adamant that he should’ve pursued the 2023 NBA Draft. Instead, looking to repeat as National Champions, improve his draft stock, and prove that his limited sample size dominance wasn’t a fluke, Clingan returned for his sophomore season.
Coming into the year, Clingan continued his body transformation by adding meaningful strength to a body that he had significantly slimmed down the season prior. Now listed at 7’2” and 280 pounds, Clingan elevated his already dominant physical advantage. Unfortunately, Clingan also sustained a foot injury that derailed the start to his season.
Thankfully, Clingan didn’t miss any games right away, but the impact of the injury was clear as Clingan only played more than 25 minutes three times in his first 12 games. It was at this point that Clingan sustained another injury to the same foot, but the two injuries were apparently not related. After missing five games, Clingan returned without issue but still rarely exceeded the 25-minute mark by more than a few minutes.
When 7-footers have foot injuries it is really concerning. When 7-footers who are 280 pounds sustain multiple foot injuries in a short period of time, red flags quickly start sprouting up. Through most of this season, I’ve been horrified of buying in on Clingan as a real Top 10 prospect purely because of the medicals. To his credit, Clingan has consistently returned to dominant form and hasn’t had any issues since the turn of the new year. There’s nothing we can do about the medicals at this point and more information will eventually come out. What we can evaluate right now, though, is his play on the court—which has made him one of the most dominant players in the country.
Defense
For most centers who arise in the lottery discussion, the one thing they have to be is dominant on defense. Clingan now has two seasons of being one of the most impactful defenders in the country. This season, Clingan posted a defensive rebounding rate of 24.2, a block rate of 11.6, and a defensive box-plus-minus of 5.5. All of those are well above average. They’re so impressive that Clingan is just one of 12 underclassmen from a true high major conference to hit those marks since 2008.
These players have all had a wide range of NBA careers, but the constant between them all is that they’ve all had NBA careers. Injuries riddled some, but every name on this list has played legitimate NBA minutes. Like many of these players, Clingan is essentially a defensive system of his own. When he’s on the court, UConn’s defensive rating is 91.4, which ranks first.
The bulk of Clingan’s defensive prowess comes with his ability to control the paint. Among players from true high major conferences, only 14 have a higher defensive rebounding rate than Clingan’s 24.2 and only one isn’t a junior or senior (Kel’el Ware at 26.1). While Clingan’s ability to end defensive possessions is crucial and invaluable, the vast majority of his defensive impact is derived from his rim protection.
This season, Clingan had the third highest block rate among players from a true high major conference, limited opponents to just 43.2% shooting at the rim, and consistently deterred shots at the rim as opponents only took 19.8% of their shots at the rim when Clingan was on the court, per Synergy. Clingan was one of the most imposing rim protectors in the country this season, and he did it all while lowering his fouls. Per-40 numbers are far from ideal, but it’s a quick way to compare seasons and production. As a freshman, Clingan averaged 5.7 fouls per 40 minutes and just 3.6 this season. Clingan significantly improved his defensive discipline while not detracting from his rim protection dominance. Whether he’s playing drop coverage, rotating from the weak side, stepping up on floaters, or defending on ball, Clingan is incredibly difficult to score on at the rim.
While Clingan significantly improved upon his fouling issues from last year, they didn’t disappear entirely. Clingan still has a tendency to unnecessarily lean on opponents in the post, but more concerningly, there were stretches where he showcased heavy/slow feet in space. To expect a 7’2” 280-pound center to be super light on his feet is foolish. There are physical limitations there that are difficult to overcome. However, he wasn’t immune from getting caught in space, high in his defensive stance, and had to resort to reckless fouls.
While Clingan occasionally got exploited in space, he is far from a liability. Overall, his footwork and defensive versatility improved substantially this year. When Clingan didn’t get caught flat-footed or out of a defensive stance, he consistently showed and recovered, deterred ball handlers from the lane, and provided the cornerstone defense that NBA teams search for. Clingan proved that he can execute a variety of pick-and-roll coverages, that he’s nearly impossible to move in the post or on drives, and that his footwork and awareness are incredibly effective in his drop coverage.
Clingan has been one of the most dominant defenders in college basketball for two seasons running. Whether you want to look at his defensive metrics or film, both back up the claim that he is one of, if not the, best defenders in this class. There are few prospects who can control the paint through their rebounding and shot blocking like Clingan can. Additionally, Clingan has proven that he can effectively move his feet in space and contest shots outside the lane as well. It would be weird if you didn’t have any concerns about Clingan getting exposed in NBA spacing or getting run off the floor. While there’ll certainly be games where this happens, Clingan’s growth over the last two seasons, his awareness, and his overall defensive dominance suggest that the good will far surpass the bad.
Offense
With the proliferation of skill and shooting in the NBA, evaluating a center’s offensive translation and NBA impact has gotten more difficult. Ideally, every center would be able to shoot from outside, handle the ball, and create their own shot. When we look at the centers in the league, though, the only ones who consistently do all of that are the ones mentioned in the All-NBA and MVP discussions. When it comes to the draft, prospects too frequently get derided simply because their offense isn’t at that level. However, that doesn’t mean that they are inept or a negative on offense. While Clingan’s main selling point is his defense, there is a lot to like about his offense.
Clingan isn’t going to be a dynamic scoring option who is a 20+ point per game scorer. However, he has proven to be a highly efficient play finisher, adept passer, and shown some versatility out of the roll. This season, Clingan scored 1.214 points per possession (PPP) overall (98th percentile), 1.218 PPP on post ups (97th percentile), 1.403 PPP on cuts (79th percentile), and 1.294 PPP as the roller (84th percentile). Clingan only took 11 jumpers all season; looks like the preseason hype videos of a center shooting from outside were yet again misleading propaganda… shocker, but he was absolutely dominant at the rim, scoring 1.4 PPP (91st percentile) while shooting 70.2%. Clingan’s combination of size, footwork, scoring touch, and hands should translate seamlessly and make him a terrific play finisher. Just because he won’t provide spacing to the perimeter, doesn’t mean that there isn’t tremendous value in his vertical spacing and roll gravity.
The most fascinating upside with Clingan’s offense, though, is his passing. Clingan’s raw assist numbers aren’t outlandish as he averaged just 1.5 assists per game and his assist rate was 14.1, which did rank fifth among centers from true high major conferences. However, Clingan’s total assist numbers nearly tripled from his freshman season while his total turnovers were cut in nearly half. In his freshman season, Clingan’s assist rate was 7.4 and his turnover rate was 15.9. As a sophomore, those numbers essentially flipped to 14.1 and 7.8 respectively. Not only did Clingan experience more usage and pass the ball at a higher clip, but he did it while rarely turning it over.
What’s so impressive about Clingan’s passing is the versatility in which it arises. Clingan isn’t exclusively passing out of double teams in the post to wide-open shooters. All season, he showed an ability to read the floor, find cutters, pass out of the short roll, and display an impressive processing speed. Clingan may not provide ideal floor spacing, but his impact as a screener, ability to read the floor, and passing accuracy will fit seamlessly into any NBA system that has a semblance of movement and creativity.
When we look at the totality of what Clingan will provide on offense, it’s an enticing package. He’s an elite offensive rebounder, incredibly efficient at-rim finisher, solid screener, and dynamic passer. When we look at freshmen and sophomores from true high major conferences who hit the same benchmarks as Clingan has this season, it’s a very short list.
This isn’t a way of comparing Clingan to Zion Williamson or Blake Griffin. Instead, it’s a way to show how unique and dominant of a player Clingan has been. Even if we lower the offensive rebounding rate and assist rate to 10 each, the list is still impressive.
So, no, Clingan likely won’t be a dynamic scorer and floor spacer. He also doesn’t need to be. Clingan excels at offensive rebounding, at-rim finishing, screening, and passing. Those aren’t just skills that he’s best at, they are skills that he dominates with. All of those traits are highly translatable and will make Clingan an effective offensive weapon.
Outlook
Twenty years ago, Donovan Clingan would probably have been the first overall pick. Even in an era where spacing reigns supreme, it wouldn’t be shocking if Clingan finds his way into the top half of the lottery. That’s how dominant he’s been over his last two seasons. It sucks to say, but the ultimate determination is going to be based on his medicals. Big men who have injuries, especially foot injuries, are a terrifying bet. Until we know more, though, all we can go off of is what we’ve seen. What we’ve seen over the last two seasons is one of the most dominant players in college basketball.
Clingan has a case as the most impactful defender in this class. His ability to single-handedly control the paint while also stepping out in space when needed is a rare trait. Without diminishing his defensive impact, Clingan was able to significantly cut down on his fouls. While there will be times where he gets exposed in space, the other 99% of possessions he’s on the court will likely consist of dominant rim protection and rebounding. Even offensively, Clingan brings far more to the table than most paint-oriented bigs. He’ll struggle to create his own shot and will be almost exclusively a play finisher. However, he’ll also be a force on the offensive glass, a devastating screener, and dynamic passer.
Comparisons are always tricky and shouldn’t be taken as a one-for-one. With Clingan, I’ve found it to be even more of a headache as those he’s similar to on defense are nowhere near his offensive upside and vice versa. With players like Steven Adams, Isaiah Hartenstein, Deandre Ayton (the good version where he played hard), Walker Kessler, and Mark Williams, though, we can see aspects of Clingan. In the 2024 NBA Draft, Donovan Clingan continues to look like one of the most well-rounded, dominant, NBA-ready centers in the entire class.
Stock just went up big for clingan