Adam Wells May 22, 2024
Mitchell Layton/Getty Images
After winning back-to-back national titles at Connecticut, Donovan Clingan could be rising up boards for the 2024 NBA draft.
Per ESPN’s Jeremy Woo, the feeling among league executives is Clingan will “be firmly in play” for the Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards and Houston Rockets.
Those three teams own the top three picks in the draft, with the Hawks sitting at No. 1 overall.
B/R’s Jonathan Wasserman has Clingan ranked as the 11th-best prospect in the 2024 class, calling him “one of the draft’s easiest bets to be a positive NBA contributor and valued starter at his position.”
The main selling point for Clingan coming into the league is defense. He measured in at just under 7’2″ with a wingspan close to 7’7″ at the NBA combine last week.
Wasserman noted he wouldn’t expect Clingan to be on the Rudy Gobert scale of impact defensive players, but he “has the right tools and movement to reach a high-end outcome for that archetype.”
In a draft class without an obvious superstar talent at the top, Clingan’s unique athletic traits combined with a stellar college resume for the team that has won each of the last two national titles might push him up the board.
The lack of shooting and dribbling ability is a detriment for Clingan in this era of the NBA, but a team that already has established playmakers and needs size in the middle would have a hard time not entertaining the possibility of adding him.
Clingan came off the bench as a freshman for the Huskies before moving into the starting lineup last season. He averaged 13.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game in 35 appearances for the Huskies in 2023-24.
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