Donovan Clingan has barely played since we last handed out rookie grades, as he went down with an MCL sprain in late November. Upon returning, the Portland Trail Blazers’ imposing center picked up right where he left off.
In just 19 minutes agasinst the Phoenix Suns on Dec. 15, Clingan racked up 10 points, nine rebounds (four offensive), three assists and two blocks. That kind of elite bang-for-buck stat-stuffing is exactly what Clingan was doing before the knee injury. If he keeps it up, and especially if the Blazers start giving him major minutes, he’s going to lead all rookies in several statistical categories.
Despite barely ranking inside the top 20 in total minutes, Clingan is first in blocks and second in offensive rebounds. And forget rookies; he’s the league leader with 5.8 blocks per 100 possessions. When he’s not swatting shots, he’s preventing them from happening in the first place, as Clingan’s presence on the floor lowers opponent rim-attempt frequency by 3.6 percent, an 87th-percentile figure.