LAS VEGAS – Anyone who watched the NCAA tournament knows that former UConn big man Donovan Clingan is a feared rim protector. Every basketball fan knows Cligan as an old-school big man who relies on his 7’2″ frame to dominate.
However, these things are different when you see him play in person – he is huge and an intimidating force that can reach a level that only a few other NBA players can match. Cligan’s defense was everything it was advertised to be during his Summer League debut and he finished with five blocks (including one on teammate Stephon Castle).
Also missing the pre-draft hype was Cligan’s need to improve on offense, where he made 1 of 8 shots, including 0 of 3 from beyond the arc.
“I wish I could still…protect the rim a little better, I was able to shoot better. I just couldn’t find my shot today,” Cliganan said.
Cligan’s strengths – defense and glass – make him valuable to Portland right now. He will come off the bench behind Deandre Ayton initially and give the Trail Blazers a huge center combination.
However, for Cligan to reach his true potential, he will need better attack and better conditioning (he was gassed in spots on Saturday). Conditioning must come quickly, but the attack will be a project.
His first Summer League game should give Trail Blazers fans hope – there’s a good, maybe great, player in Cligan. Someone who can be part of what is being built in the Pacific Northwest. He can be the center of the future, he just has work to do.
Here are some other notes from Day 2 of the Las Vegas Summer League.
• Miami nearly set the record for most points in a Summer League game.
The record is 120 points, shared by the 2022 Grizzlies and 2007 Nuggets. Miami beat the Celtics in the most entertaining game of the day, 119-114 – it was just a shootout. The Heat had a chance late in the game but were unable to convert it to set the record.
Quick question for the Heat: Why is Jaime Jaquez playing? He racked up 11/29/5, but what does he gain from being here? It’s time to turn it off for the summer.
• Same question for Charlotte: No one could figure out why the Hornets sent Brandon Miller to Summer League. He doesn’t need to be here, he had 23 points and eight rebounds, while also shooting 5 of 10 from 3. Come on, Hornets, shut him down.
• Bulls draft pick Matas Buzelis has shown flashes, but — like all high-draft picks in Las Vegas this year — he has a lot of work to do. Buzelis flashed the handles to create space, but his shooting is a work in progress (as was a concern before the draft). He finished with 15 points on 4-of-15 shooting and 0-of-4 from 3. He clearly didn’t trust that shot, he preferred attacking from close range to shooting 3s (he got to the line 11 times).
• The Knicks could have a second-round pick in Tyler Kolek from Marquette. He has fantastic court vision and enough fists to get to the spot and make the pass, as well as a good feel for the game. He finished with seven assists – and would have had a lot more with teammates who could finish (welcome to Summer League, Tyler) – to go with seven points and seven rebounds. It was easy to see him as a second unit point guard.
The draft questions, which is why he fell to the second round (No. 34), were about his defense. He was surprised a few times in this game, and if that keeps happening, Tom Thibodeau won’t put him on the court. He has a guaranteed contract, so Kolek will be with the Knicks this season and we’ll see if he can carve out a role.
• The Hornets’ No. 6 pick, Tidjane Salaun, was as advertised – he’s a long, fluid athlete, and you can see the upside potential in some of his drives and the confidence with which he plays. He has the physical gifts you can’t teach.
It’s also clear how far he needs to go, for example, shooting 0 of 3 from 3 (but 3 of 4 from within the arc). Salaun is a long-term play, but he seems like a guy worth rolling the dice for the Hornets.
• The dunk of the day goes to Bucks second-year player Andre Jackson Jr., who anticipated MarJon Beauchamp’s miss and timed the dunk perfectly.
• Unless this late-game dunk by the 76ers is the best:
• Pistons second-round pick Bobi Klintman could be a steal in the second round. It’s a Summer League game, but he impressed with 13 points (3-of-7 from 3) as well as five assists and five rebounds.
“I bring a lot of versatility,” Klintman said. “I can guard multiple positions, play multiple positions, shoot downfield, I can get off the ball, make others on the team better.”
The fluid athleticism was evident in Las Vegas, as was the maturity of a guy who played against men in Australia last season and not in college – he handled the speed and physicality of Summer League well.
We’ll see how this translates into future games and training camp, but it’s a promising start and you can see why the Pistons signed him to a four-year, $8 million contract (the first two years are guaranteed ).
