> I would have voted Clingan first-team All-Rookie last year. He was tremendous on the defensive end, particularly in the back half of the year after he got a chance to play following Deandre Ayton’s injury. He’s not going to be the sexiest player statistically, but he has a serious chance to impact winning.
>
> In his final 28 games, Clingan averaged 8.8 points, 10 rebounds and 1.8 blocks while shooting 55.6 percent from the field. Beyond that, his positioning in drop coverage and rim protection remained elite. When Clingan was on the court last season, the Blazers gave up only 112.4 points per 100 possessions, per PBPStats. That was four points better than when he was off the court and was the equivalent of a top-10 defense in the NBA. In his 1,324 minutes last year, the Blazers were essentially a break-even team despite losing minutes without him by about five points per 100 possessions.
>
> Clingan gobbles rebounds and is incredibly sharp positionally. He held opponents to just a 49.5 percent mark around the rim on shots that he contested. He has a chance to be an All-Defense-caliber center, especially given the Blazers’ decisions to focus on the defensive end this offseason.