Portland Trail Blazers Rookie Logs Perfect Double-Double

The Portland Trail Blazers have seen rookie Donovan Clingan hit his stride, with a perfect double-double against the Dallas Mavericks, where does the rookie go from here?

Jan 9, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Portland Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan (23) and Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford (21) battle for the loose ball during the first quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Donovan Clingan was a coveted prospect in the 2024 NBA Draft, with many whispers of teams looking for ways to move up in the draft to select the UCONN big man. Ultimately, the Portland Trail Blazers pulled the trigger on Clingan with the No. 7 pick in last June's draft.

Clingan is a man in the middle the Trail Blazers can eventually build around. For now, he comes off the bench in Portland. Against Dallas, and their pair of lethal big fellas, Clingan had one of his best games.

In 24 minutes off the bench - three more than starting center DeAndre Ayton - Clingan posted 11 points, 11 rebounds, one assist and two blocks, while shooting 4-for-4 from the floor, including 1-for-1 from beyond the arc and 2-for-3 at the charity stripe.

Clingan was huge off the bench and a big reason why the Trail Blazers kept this game within six points, falling 117-111 at the hands of the shorthanded Dallas Mavericks in Dallas.

The Trail Blazer rookie gave Daniel Gafford fits, who logged just 10 mintues going 0-fro-3 in that span with two points. Though, Gafford did contribute four rebounds, two assists and three blocks.

This season, Clingan averages 5.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game in 29 games logged, including seven starts.

A game like this one can certainly propel a rookie into a massive second half of the season to close out year one strong.

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