The Portland Trail Blazers have a defensive disruptor on their hands with center Donovan Clingan. The No. 7 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft is already making his impact felt, per the Blazers’ social media.
“With two blocks in last night’s game, Donovan Clingan has recorded 16 consecutive games with a block this season, the longest streak by any Trail Blazers rookie. He passes Bill Walton (15), who held the record since his 1974-75 rookie season.”
Clingan nearly had a triple-double against the Minnesota Timberwolves last week. He had 17 points, 12 rebounds and eight blocks. Victor Wembanyama accomplished the feat (a triple-double with 10+ blocks) for the first time in three seasons last February.
The Blazers fan base is calling the rookie “Cling Kong.”
Blazers improved, but still a long way to go
In Brett Siegel’s latest ClutchPoints’ NBA Power Rankings, he has the Blazers at No. 20, moving up five spots. That will probably be followed by a decline in next week’s edition.
“Over his last three games, Shaedon Sharpe is averaging 27.3 points and 3.7 rebounds per game while shooting 50.8 percent from the floor. Coincidentally enough, the Blazers are 3-0 in this span, recently picking up wins over the Timberwolves and Hawks. Sharpe may very well be the key to Portland unlocking their full potential on offense because of his athleticism and ability to push the pace on the wing.
“Alongside Sharpe, rookie big man Donovan Clingan has also made the most of his opportunities as one of the league’s best shot blockers, with Deandre Ayton missing some games due to injury. Like the Pistons, the Blazers are another young team to keep tabs on in the NBA power rankings.”
Backup PG Scott Henderson was involved in a car accident on Thursday. The accident wasn’t serious, per Blazers insider Sean Highkin.
“According to a league source, Scoot Henderson was involved in a minor accident in a ride share and was rear ended on Thursday afternoon while in Houston. He’s fine but will be out tonight with a back strain and considered day-to-day going forward.”
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Head coach Chauncey Billups isn’t happy to settle for poor performance, highlighted by his incendiary comments after a recent 45-point loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
“It was just f*****g embarrassing, to be honest with you,” Billups said. “We were soft as hell the whole game. Nobody really fought. It was just embarrassing for everybody. That’s just not who we are. There’s no excuse for that. You have a lot of rough nights in this league, obviously. But I don’t even care. This wasn’t even that. Guys showed up because they had to be here, but they didn’t want to play. They didn’t want to actually work. That’s embarrassing.
“It’s unfortunate that we had to go out there in front of our fans that paid their hard-earned money to come see their favorite team play. And you show up and do that.”
The Blazers will face the Rockets on Saturday night in Houston. They lost to Houston on Friday night, 116-88.
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