NBA Draft: Trail Blazers select UConn star Donovan Clingan with No. 7 overall pick

After two truly dominant runs throughout college basketball, UConn star Donovan Clingan is headed to Portland.

The Trail Blazers selected Clingan with the No. 7 overall pick in the NBA Draft on Wednesday night. The 7-foot-2 center is fresh off back-to-back title runs with the Huskies, the first team to pull off the feat in 17 years.

Though both Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr held a clear advantage in the race for the No. 1 overall pick, Clingan was gaining steam in recent days. After Sarr declined to meet with the Hawks, the team narrowed in on Risacher — whom they eventually took No. 1 overall — and Clingan.

Even though he slipped a bit from the top, Clingan is one of the safer prospects available in this otherwise weak draft class for a team looking for help inside. The 20-year-old averaged 13 points and 7.4 rebounds while helping UConn to its national championship earlier this spring, which came a year after he was a key bench player on the 2023 championship team. He looked significantly better physically near the end of his second season with the Huskies, and he did a decent job defending and outlasting Purdue star and two-time player of the year Zach Edey in the title game.

Clingan has already proven himself capable of being a defensive cornerstone. With a near 7-foot-7 wingspan, he can be a rim protector and a rare true center in the league. But his offensive game has only improved in his two college seasons. He’s been a dominant pick-and-roll and inside threat already while being incredibly efficient around the rim. He shot nearly 64% from the field last season.

Clingan should be able to jump right in and anchor the Trail Blazers' defense. But there’s plenty of room for growth for the 20-year-old, whom Dan Hurley didn’t hesitate to compare to a younger Nikola Jokić.