Donovan Clingan 2024 NBA Draft Projection: Player comparison and projected draft pick for UConn Huskies star
The 2024 NBA Draft is finally here, and fans are already looking forward to how UConn Huskies center Donovan Clingan stacks up in his class. An interesting part of draft season is the comparison of prospects with current NBA players of a similar skill set. In the case of Clingan, he is most associated with the Utah Jazz's Walker Kessler.
Fresh off an NCAA title win, the big man awaits the opportunity to showcase his skill set in the big league. During the national championship game against Purdue, Clingan was a force defensively, which was a key factor in limiting the opponent's chances at the rim.
Similar to Kessler, the two centers are not known as scoring bigs like Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic. While they can hit a couple of post moves given the right positioning near the basket, they prioritize making a defensive impact and securing rebounds.
Donovan Clingan vs. Walker Kessler — Strengths
Due to their commanding presence at the rim, Donovan Clingan shot 63.9% on the floor with his back-to-the-basket scoring. It doesn't look anything extraordinary, but it has been effective as the big man has the light touch to his offensive arsenal.
The same can be said of how Kessler puts the ball in the hole. Last season, his shooting efficiency took a slight dip, but he has maintained a high percentage at 65.4% shooting.
The rebounding numbers are steady for Clingan's standards and have been an improvement in his second year. In his final season playing for the Huskies, Clingan secured boards by an average of 7.4 per game. Similar to Kessler's shooting dip, the Jazz big man's rebounding numbers also went down a few at 7.5 per game.
His imposing defensive presence remains his strong suit, as he is also effective in rejecting shots at the basket. He swatted away shot attempts by an average of 2.5 per contest. Kessler's block average remains steady with a slight increase at 2.4
Donovan Clingan vs. Walker Kessler — Weaknesses
By today's standards, Clingan can be asked to improve his 3-point shot to catch up with the pace and the offensive process being utilized today. He shot 25.0% from beyond the arc last season, as that particular range was not part of his specialties. The same can be said for Kessler, who also isn't known as a walking shotmaker from deep.
However, the two bigs also struggle to defend in space. The league has changed drastically over the years, and now it is filled with incredible offensive talent. They range from players who can beat defenders off the dribble either through tough shotmaking or elite dribble penetration.
This is a visible weakness of Kessler's game as one of his defensive limitations outside of his presence at the rim. The same could be said for Clingan, and he will need to find his footing once he arrives in the league.
Donovan Clingan 2024 NBA Draft Projection
Clingan's 2024 NBA Draft Projection sees him getting selected as either the sixth or seventh pick. The Charlotte Hornets have the sixth pick and could use some improvement at the center position. His defensive ability will be valued by the team, especially considering they were the 29th-ranked defense in the league.
He could also land with the Portland Trail Blazers at seventh overall and find a role as a backup big man to Deandre Ayton. Their scoring capabilities differ, but Clingan could be what the team is looking for as an effective center coming off the bench.