Grizzlies prospect profile and fits: Donovan Clingan

The Memphis Grizzlies have openly expressed that they will look to add a big man to this roster. If they're looking for one in the draft, Donovan Clingan may be the best answer.

Jun 11, 2024

Measurements: 7’1.25” (without shoes), 282. pounds, 7’6.75” wingspan
Age: 20 years old (February 23, 2004)
Per-36 (via Tankathon): 20.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 3.9 blocks, 0.8 steals
Mock Draft placement: 2 - Wizards (No Ceilings), 3 - Rockets (The Ringer), 4 - Spurs (CBS Sports), 5 - Pistons (Bleacher Report), 6 - Hornets (Tankathon), 7 - Trail Blazers (ESPN, The Athletic, Yahoo Sports), 9 - Grizzlies (NBA Big Board)
Big Board placement: 3 (ESPN, No Ceilings, NBA Big Board), 4 (The Ringer), 5 (Tankathon, The Athletic), 6 (Yahoo Sports), 11 (CBS Sports, Bleacher Report)

It’s no secret the Memphis Grizzlies need a big man. Zach Kleiman said they're targeting a big man. How they acquire one — draft, free agency, or trade — is the only question.

If drafting one is the way to go, Donovan Clingan could be at the top of the board of center options.

The two-time National Champion plays a style that emulates a successful one next to Ja Morant — one we saw Steven Adams plays. Dan Hurley utilized him in a way the modern NBA uses their big man. Clingan operated around the top of the key for “Delay” actions and at the elbows for “Elbow” actions to tap into his screen-setting with his 280-pound frame. In this past year, he grew as a playmaker — unlocking a new dynamic where he isn’t exclusive to handoffs, but he can also survey the floor to find cutters.

In addition, he’s a potent rim protector that influences shot attempts, while also gobbling up rebounds on both sides of the floor. He truly patrols and locks down the paint.

Because of his two-way impact, Clingan had one of the most productive underclassmen college basketball seasons in recent memory — ranking 7th in BPM among all freshmen and sophomores since 2008.

Though Clingan fits the “traditional center” archetype — one that comes with questions when it comes to playoff viability — he possesses a skillset that should bode well for NBA success.

Scouting Report

Looking at the Film

Donovan Clingan fits the mold of the traditional center and possesses the skillset to make a stellar impact on both sides of the floor.

The core of his game is his elite rim protection. He warps the interior with his near 7’7” wingspan and 9’7” standing reach.

What pops out the most — on the floor and in the box score — is his shot-blocking. He’s a dominant shot-blocker that demonstrates great timing and verticality when swatting shots, doing so without fouling (averaged 3.9 blocks per 40 minutes against 3.2 fouls per 40 minutes)

Rim protection isn’t strictly just blocking shots. Clingan is an influencer in the paint with how he alters shots and deters opponents from trying in the paint.

With his 282-pound frame, Clingan is difficult to post up against. He demonstrates contact absorption and balance, leveraging his body to force his opponents into suboptimal finishing spots.

The biggest key for Clingan’s NBA transition and ceiling will be his scheme versatility. Guarding big men, he will be at the center of ball screen coverages. His scheme versatility and prowess in screen coverages could elevate his ceiling and boost his playoff viability.

Clingan is a monstrous drop defender, an imposing roadblock to ball-handlers in downhill actions. He shuts off scoring chances with his shot blocking and alteration, but he also forces the opposition to reset into its next action.

He’s a 7’2”, 280-pound big man. Defending in space won’t be pretty sometimes. While his ground coverage in space is good, there are moments his recovery time isn’t quick enough — rollers getting better lanes, or he bites on fakes and can’t recover.

Clingan shows scheme versatility in doses. He comes up to the level of the screen pretty often. He could still drop from this spot, but he also hedges the screen and recovers. He can switch in pinches — emphasis on pinches — as he holds positioning and rarely bites on fakes.

One cool defensive thing Clingan does is flipping and recovering. He maintains positioning in space — whether it’s drive or help defense, or covering the ball-handler while his teammate recovers from screen — and flips back to his man upon the pass to alter or block the shot.

Clingan’s scheme versatility will be under a microscope. Yes, it is ultimately important for his ceiling and playoff viability to play in different coverages. However, it shouldn’t diminish his prowess as a drop-coverage defender. He has the potential to be an All-Defense anchor. As long as he can prove he can hold his own more often than not in different coverages, and not be exclusive to drop coverage, he’s going to leave a profound impact defensively.

Clingan is going to be a low-usage offensive player that can be a connective piece for his perimeter players.

Dan Hurley had Clingan slotted around the elbow or at the top of the 3-point arc to serve as a connective hub for his perimeter players. The offense leveraged Clingan’s screening, passing, and play finishing as a straw to stir constant motion and to scramble the defense.

Clingan couples his massive frame with great screening mechanics to set effective, crushing picks. While it’s beneficial in pick-and-roll, he also frees up shooters — or drivers, if they attack the closeout — with pindown, stagger, or flare screens. While he’s not much of a floor spacer with his perimeter game, his screening is a space creator itself because of what it opens up for his teammates.

Clingan took a big step as a passer this season — nearly doubling his assist percentage, while slicing his turnover rate in half (also possessing a near 2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio). While he’s mostly a stationary passer, and will need to show more dynamic short roll decision-making, he’s a quick processor that can throw darts. He often showcased it to make quick reads in the flow of the offense, or to get off the ball when drawing doubles.

The final ripple effect of his work as a “hub.” Clingan is a massive target for teammates to hit on the roll. He runs the floor hard and identifies when the defense is lagging to chug along to the rim — and his teammates reward him.

His NBA team won’t throw the ball to Clingan in the post a ton. However, his post positioning is an impressive tool that can be utilized with mismatch opportunities, or to capitalize on an ideal angle when the ball pings around the horn.

Clingan has room for growth as a finisher, even though he’s mostly an efficient play finisher. He struggles when teams crash the paint to physically contest his shot. His footwork is pretty spotty, and it’s easy to knock him off balance. He should have more spacing to work with, but he still needs more strength to power through defensive pressure inside.

Finally, Clingan gobbles up offensive rebounds — possessing an offensive rebound percentage of 16% in his 2 years at Connecticut. Like his post work, he battles for positioning on the glass.

Donovan Clingan won’t be a unicorn big man. He’s more of a traditional big man, and people tend to look at the flaws of this archetype. However, Clingan has proven he makes a substantial impact on both sides of the ball. Even without a 3-point jumper — a skill that’s fine for him not to have, but would be an awesome development — he can be a connector that creates space and scoring opportunities for his teammates. And defensively, he can be a dominant rim protector that can play in different coverages and shut down activity in the paint.

Fit with the Grizzlies

Donovan Clingan helps the Memphis Grizzlies achieve full frontcourt optionality, something they haven’t had since Steven Adams injured his knee.

Jaren Jackson Jr. can go back to his most lethal role as a rim-roaming drop defender. With Clingan and Jackson, the Grizzlies would have a 7’2” center in drop, and another 7-footer swarming the perimeter and paint — a massive development, as the defense has always tried to limit scoring opportunities in the paint. Those two big men with strong perimeter defenders like Marcus Smart, Vince Williams, and Desmond Bane serve as a good infrastructure for an elite defense.

The Grizzlies would also have a natural connective hub for “Delay” and “Elbow” actions. Clingan’s screening and passing should be a valuable commodity. We’ve seen how a bruiser that sets crushing screens can create space for Ja Morant and Desmond Bane to operate. In addition, with Clingan’s offensive rebounding, he’d help the Grizzlies secure the possession advantage once again.

Clingan’s playoff viability will be questioned. Grizzlies faithful especially might be a bit scarred from the Steven Adams series against Karl-Anthony Towns. (Worth noting, Jenkins did adjust quickly by taking him out 3 minutes into Game 2. His series was cut short due to COVID, not specifically the matchup).

Naturally, people will worry about someone of Adams’ archetype struggling in the playoffs. I don’t think it’ll happen, more so because of the landscape of the West.

Most contending teams have a starting big man that’s a traditional 5. Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama fit the mold but are an exceptions to the rule. The Mavericks have 2 of them (Gafford and Lively). Rudy Gobert and the Timberwolves aren’t breaking up. Ivica Zubac and Jusuf Nurkic are quietly pivotal for their big ball-handlers. You never know if the Lakers will have Anthony Davis at the 4 or 5 going into the offeseason, as they shuffle their roster around him and LeBron every summer. The Rockets have a “modern” big man in Alperen Sengun as a playmaking hub, but they’ll play Steven Adams too.

The Thunder and the Kings are two teams that can be exceptions. The Thunder value their advantages with Chet Holmgren at the 5, but they could be in the market for a 5 this summer — with recent reports from Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer suggesting a push for Isaiah Hartenstein. Domantas Sabonis isn’t a shooter, but he might be the best non-Jokic hub in the league. He brings bigs high up in ball screens, which could be a problem, but a traditional 5 might be needed to secure the possession advantage with Sabonis’ rebounding.

I don’t foresee the same concerns with Clingan as Adams. The matchups are more favorable. Clingan can defend a bit higher up at the level to hedge with a bit more nimbleness. He could also have outside shooting added to his development plan to help space the floor to keep defenses honest, but I wouldn’t totally count on it.

All in all though, Donovan Clingan could yield the most value of any realistic draft targets. He fills necessary gaps and provides optionality next to Jaren Jackson Jr., keys for playoff chess matches. If he grows into a starting-level big man, his rookie contract is a valuable team-building component to a team that’ll only get more expensive. If he’s in the range, and the Grizzlies aren’t seeking a veteran big man instead, Clingan should be at the top of the board.

What will it take for a trade-up?

It’s far more likely Donovan Clingan doesn’t slide to 9, with most draft analysts having him no later than 7 to Portland. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony also reported that the Grizzlies, Blazers, and Bulls are looking to trade up for Clingan. It’s hard to decipher what’s fire and what’s smoke. Nonetheless, it’s more likely they have to trade up to get Clingan. What does that look like?

I’ll get more into what specific deals could look like with the 9th pick — whether it’s up, down, or off the board — given the rumors and historical contexts. However, let’s just survey the current landscape of possibilities.

For starters, he’s in play at 1 and 2, which is a real possibility. Washington needs a big, and Atlanta’s coach served as the architect of a Rudy Gobert system. If that’s the case, the Grizzlies cannot trade up high enough to get him.

The rumors with Houston at 3 dominated the conversation last week. Of all the teams that have swapped top-10 picks since 2013, nobody has jumped higher than 4 spots — and ones that do have other picks in the 1st round, or cap space for a salary dump. In addition, unless San Antonio (4) or Detroit (5) are real threats to get him, why go all the way up to 3? It’s hard to foresee Houston picking Clingan with Sengun in the fold, and if they’re making Steven Adams an integral part of their team (and I suspect they do, given Rafael Stone and Ime Udoka’s comments to the media).

The sweet spot to trade up for Clingan is 6 with Charlotte. They have the cap space to absorb any contracts the Grizzlies add to it — whether it’s Santi Aldama, Ziaire Williams, or John Konchar. They can do 9, 39, and one of those players for 6. Honestly, if the player Charlotte wants is Aldama, they could probably do just 9 and Santi for 6. In this instance, they jump Portland — who have expressed interest in Clingan — and San Antonio — a wild card that could shock everyone with this “twin towers” model next to Wembanyama.

Zach Kleiman has always been active trading up to go get their guy on draft night. It wouldn’t be shocking if he does so again, and maybe it’s for Donovan Clingan.

Final judgement: If the Grizzlies want to acquire a center through the draft, then Donovan Clingan should be their guy. He fills gaps lost from the Steven Adams injury and departure, while potentially stretching the horizons of what he could become. He gives the Grizzlies optionality once again with the versatile Jaren Jackson Jr. It’s an incredibly clean fit, if the goal is to acquire a rookie big man to develop into their starting center — and to maintain the advantages of Jaren Jackson Jr. being the 4. And that’s only if they can trade up high enough to get him — and I’m betting he’s gone before the 9th pick.

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