In a turbulent season that saw plenty of ups and downs for the Portland Trail Blazers, one of the few constants was starting center Donovan Clingan. When the organization decided last summer to waive former No. 1 overall draft pick Deandre Ayton, it sent a message of confidence in Clingan to step into the starting role.
The decision paid off immediately, as the 7’2” Clingan outperformed his rookie season in several key categories, and established himself as one of the NBA’s premier rebounders and rim
protectors.
Season Stats
Here’s Clingan’s basic stat block:
- Minutes: 27.2
- Points: 12.1
- Rebounds: 11.6
- Assists: 2.1
- FG: 52%
- 3PT: 34.1%
- Blocks: 1.7
- Steals: 0.6
- Turnovers: 1.2
Other Standout Stats
We should start by ripping the Band-Aid off to discuss Clingan’s first career playoff performance. To say it was anything less than abysmal, would be sugarcoating it. Against the San Antonio Spurs he was strategically forced into a difficult situation due to the Blazers’ plan to defend the anomalous Victor Wembanyama. Because Wemby likes to operate along the perimeter and can handle the ball like a guard, Clingan does not have the foot speed or lateral quickness to stay in front of him. The Blazers opted to put smaller defenders like Jrue Holiday and Toumani Camara on Wembanyama to play him tight and make it difficult for him to put the ball on the floor.
That left Clingan on an island, having to defend Stephon Castle while attempting to hang as close to the paint as he could without drawing calls for illegal defense. Not only did the Blazers have to sacrifice one of their best wing defenders to bother Wemby, it then allowed one of the Spurs’ quick guards to put Clingan into awkward space, often taking him away from the basket. It was a double-edged sword that gashed the Blazers. To make matters worse, he was just as ineffective on the offensive end.
Across the five-game series, Donovan played 21 minutes a game, averaging 7.0 points and 7.8 rebounds, while shooting an icy 30.4% from the field. He also launched five 3-point shots per game, while making one of them for a frigid 20%. Fans could only facepalm at his performance, and it raised worries about Clingan’s ability to be played off the floor.
Those concerns should be tempered, however. The Spurs are a bad playoff matchup for Clingan. If he’s not defending a guard from their starting group, he’s having to face a seasoned vet in backup center, Luke Kornet. Kornet was a key contributor to the Celtics title run in 2024 and is a savvy player on both ends of the court. His experience often gave Clingan fits throughout the series.
Had the Blazers faced any other Western Conference team in the playoffs, Clingan would have had a more traditional matchup that would’ve allowed him to operate in the space he’s most comfortable. Regardless, it was his first tour of duty in the postseason and it’s not surprising for a young big man to struggle.
Playoff struggles aside, Clingan had an outstanding year and established himself as the team’s defensive anchor and a burgeoning two-way player.
Change Year-Over-Year
- Minutes- Clingan played 27.2 minutes per game vs 19.8 as a rookie, a 27% increase. That is a testament to his offseason conditioning to fully handle starting center minutes.
- Rebounding- Clingan pulled down the most rebounds in the entire Association with 892. He was the league’s 3rd leading rebounder by average, with 11.6. That’s good for a 32% increase from his rookie season. He led the NBA in offensive rebounds and ranked 7th in defensive boards.
- Defense- Clingan finished among the Top 5 rim protectors in 2025-26, ranking 1st in the frequency of shots opponents shoot at the rim (34.3%). Plus, he was 5th in defensive FG percentage plus/minus with -10%, meaning opponents shot 10 percent worse within 6 feet of the rim with him on the floor. Along with elite rim protection and rebounding, Clingan finished tied for 4th in the NBA in blocks with 1.7 per game. His defensive rating of 110.2 ranked 14th, and his defensive win shares of 3.5 placed him 18th in the league.
- Scoring & Shooting- He nearly doubled his scoring average, going from 6.5 points per game to 12.1. Clingan’s 3-point shot also steadily improved as his volume increased. As a rookie he experimented with the three-ball on 0.7 attempts per game, converting a paltry 28.6%. This season, he became more comfortable and shot 34.1% on 3.2 attempts. A 5.5% jump while tripling the attempts is a good sign for his future as a versatile scorer. His 2-point FG percentage also went up to 62.% vs 58.2%, and his FT percentage saw a nice spike, hitting 68% vs 60% as a rookie. Overall, he ranked 11th in the NBA in offensive rating at 130 and 18th in offensive win shares with 5.3.
Analysis
Digesting these stats show that Donovan Clingan has a big impact on winning. He was a durable stalwart all season long, as he finished 2nd on the team behind Camara with 77 games played. With him being a Blazers big man, I don’t want to say anything else about that except have a fun, productive, and healthy offseason, Donovan!
On the court Clingan also demonstrated an aptitude to get chippy and jaw a bit with opponents. When you’re already 7’2” and 280 pounds and confidently play with an edge at 22 years old, that’s a scary thing for the rest of the NBA. Under the basket, he fights for every rebound, and can demoralize opponents with his combination of size and tenacity. As the league’s leader in offensive rebounding, Clingan gives the Blazers an edge in second-chance opportunities. When the rebounding traffic gets heavy and Clingan can’t secure it, he’s also become adept at swatting a loose ball coming off the rim back out to the 3-point line for a teammate to control it. With the Blazers being such an inconsistent shooting team, the extra possessions Clingan creates allow for much needed second-chance points. He finished 2nd in the league behind Karl Anthony-Towns with 156, and it allowed Portland to rank 3rd in the league in that category.
We highlighted Clingan’s offensive improvement above, but he also finished 7th in the league with 37 double-double performances. As he continues to gain experience and strength, there’s no telling where his ceiling currently is. He put up several monster stat lines this season. Here are a few:
Vs CHI 11/19 17 points, 21 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks
Vs SAS 1/3 24 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists
Vs Utah 2/12 23 points, 18 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 blocks
Vs PHX 2/22 23 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 blocks
Vs MIN 3/20 21 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks
Vs MIL 3/25 14 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks
Only 15 players in NBA history have recorded the rare “5×5” stat line of at least 5 points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks in a single game. Clingan is one of the players who’s capable of reaching that milestone.
The Future
While San Antonio may have neutralized Clingan in his first playoff experience, he emerged this season as the Blazers second-most impactful two-way player behind Deni Avdija. When centers like Jokic, Embiid, KAT, Adebayo, and Gobert begin to slow down due to age and mileage within the next five years, Donovan Clingan is trending toward becoming one of the league’s top centers behind Wembanyama. However, with OKC and San Antonio looking like they are the long-term Western Conference heavyweights, Portland will need to vary its attack from the center position.
While re-signing Robert Williams III is a likely priority this summer, the Blazers have a dire need to find a highly mobile, durable big that can guard out on the perimeter and recover to the rim. It may not happen this summer, but Portland needs a stylistic change of pace option to Clingan if it wants to eventually get past the Thunder and the Spurs. It’s far too early to tell where Yang Hansen resides within this (or at all), but there’s no question he will always be limited in the quickness department.
Damian Lillard’s return should be interesting, as he put up his best scoring when he had a behemoth center screening for him. As one of the game’s greatest ever pick-n’-roll players, Lillard should help Clingan develop into a bigger threat offensively with more rolls to the basket, or as a 3-point outlet if Dame still has the quickness to use the screen to get to the basket.
Contractually, Clingan has two more seasons on his rookie deal that will pay him $7.5 million next season and $9.5 million in 2027-28. He’ll be due for a new contract at the same time as Avdija.
Along with Deni and Toumani, Donovan has become a cultural cornerstone for creating a tougher defensive identity for this era’s Blazers. They finished the season with the league’s 12th-ranked defense and ranked 4th after the All-Star break. If they can address some of their shooting woes this offseason to raise their ceiling, the defense should continue to provide a solid floor with “Cling Kong” as its anchor. What are your thoughts on Clingan’s second season?
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