Deni Avdija and Shaedon Sharpe have headlined the Portland Trail Blazers’ promising 2025-26 season. This has led to fewer eyes on Donovan Clingan’s development into the Blazers’ best center. He has thrived under Tiago Splitter’s system, which is a great outcome for the sophomore center.
Clingan Has Proven Himself As The Trail Blazers’ Best Center
The Portland Trail Blazers have had numerous centers throughout the years. Jusuf Nurkic was probably the most reliable one, but they have not had a true franchise center. Now, the Blazers can fully rely on Donovan Clingan to be a building block for the next decade.
Selected with the seventh overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Clingan became a long-term project for Portland. Deandre Ayton was the starting center during Clingan’s rookie year. However, it became apparent that Clingan deserved the franchise center role, so the Blazers waived Ayton.
Clingan Is The Blazers’ Best Center Moving Forward
After an impressive rookie year that saw him make the All-Rookie Second Team, Clingan became the starting center. Even though the Blazers selected Yang Hansen in the 2025 Draft, Clingan was the de facto starter.
He has proven himself in the 2025-26 season with his impressive performances. This season, Clingan is averaging a double-double of 11.2 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. His offensive rebounding is also the best in the league at 4.6 a night.
Donovan Clingan stats tonight:
– 12 points | 55.6% FG | 66.7% TS
– 17 rebounds 🦍
– 3 blocksClingan has been killing it lately 🔥 pic.twitter.com/QOchhYSo9P
— SleeperTrailBlazers (@SleeperBlazers) January 6, 2026
Considering he is only a second-year player, being this good is an impressive feat. His offense mostly consists of putbacks and in the pick-and-roll, but he has also found a new weapon. Clingan has become a reliable three-point shooter, averaging 34.4% from beyond the arc on 2.7 attempts a game.
Clingan’s Development As A Shooter Raises His Ceiling
Clingan’s development as a shooter has been unbelievable. Most scouts saw him as a non-shooter, but the Trail Blazers have enabled him to work on his jump shot. Now, it has paid dividends because he is reliable from beyond the arc.
He is now a dual threat in the paint and beyond the arc. That helps stretch opponents’ defensive schemes, which opens up more opportunities for Avdija and Sharpe. The Blazers have been on a roll recently, winning five of their last six games.
DC COOKIN 🔥
Another double-double night for Donovan 🫡 pic.twitter.com/o9PehLMude
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) January 6, 2026
In this stretch, Avdija, Sharpe, and Clingan have emerged as the team’s primary trio. They have found their stride with roles on offense. With Clingan’s shooting, the offense is much more dynamic. Since they still do not have a healthy point guard on the roster, this is even more promising.
The trio’s rise was a big part of a promising 2025, and it appears to be Portland’s foundation. With a reliable big man like Clingan and a duo of promising perimeter players, they have a formula for success.
Splitter’s System Is Maximizing Clingan’s Potential
With Tiago Splitter settling in as the Blazers’ acting head coach, he has found a good formula. Relying on Avdija and Sharpe on offense has been a rollercoaster. However, they have found themselves to be quite efficient in recent weeks.
Clingan has been the talisman for Splitter’s system as the defensive anchor. He has also become a focal point on offense, as he is a positive playmaker. Clingan’s role is to run dribble hand-offs, but he can be a savvy playmaker when needed.
Portland’s offense has been a problem this season, but Clingan has never been the issue. He is doing his best to keep the possession alive with his offensive rebounding, and the shooting has been superb.
With Splitter’s experience as a champion with the Spurs, he can be the right mentor for Clingan. Splitter was a big part of Alperen Sengun’s development, so being Clingan’s coach is promising.
Featured Image: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images
