Tag: donovan clingan

The latest 2024 NBA mock draft from ESPN has UConn’s Donovan Clingan in top-3

The UConn big man is skyrocketing up draft boards.

There’s been a lot of buzz about the 2024 NBA Draft and how mocks have players from overseas in a lot of the top spots.

But could one of the breakout stars from March Madness be a lottery pick?

UConn big man Donovan Clingan has made his presence very much felt during the men’s NCAA tournament. In our latest 2024 NBA mock draft from Bryan Kalbrosky, he had Clingan going No. 6 overall to the rebuilding Toronto Raptors. And in the latest ESPN mock, Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo have him going No. 3 to the Charlotte Hornets.

How could that play out? Here’s their take:

Clingan’s dominance in the Big East championship game and the NCAA tournament has NBA teams asking just how high he could be drafted thanks to his late-season surge after recovering from foot injuries that plagued him early in the campaign. He has upside to tap into with his perimeter shooting, which is a possible part of his game down the road. (The Milwaukee Bucks’ Brook Lopez didn’t start shooting 3s until he was age 28.) One general manager asked ESPN recently, “Rudy Gobert or Donovan Clingan?” regarding who will be the more impactful defensive player, which highlights a college player being compared to a three-time NBA defensive player of the year winner.

There will be plenty of debate between now and June regarding who is the better prospect: Clingan or ESPN’s projected No. 2 pick Alex Sarr. (And Sarr is now firmly in the conversation at No. 1, as well.) Clingan has one or two more games to make his case at the Final Four in Arizona next weekend, and he would surely benefit greatly from a strong showing against Edey should the two meet in the championship game. In a draft lacking in star power at the top, Clingan looks as close to a surefire bet to be a highly productive starter and a major impact performer as you’ll find.

There you have it! Don’t forget to check out our latest NBA Mock Draft from Kalbrosky!

Potential Thunder draft prospect Donovan Clingan leads UConn in win over Illinois

Potential Thunder draft prospect Donovan Clingan leads UConn in win over Illinois.

The Oklahoma City Thunder could have two 2024 first-round picks in the lottery range. They own the Houston Rockets’ top-four protected pick and the Utah Jazz’s top-10 protected pick. The former looks more likely to come to OKC than the latter.

With the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament underway, the top prospects are in the spotlight as they draw national attention for their postseason performances.

Considering the Thunder will likely have at least one lottery pick, plenty of possible additions via the draft give fans a chance to see how they match up in high-stress situations.

One possibility is UConn center Donovan Clingan. He finished with 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting, 10 rebounds, five blocks and three steals in 22 minutes in No. 1 UConn’s 77-52 win over No. 3 Illinois in the Elite Eight on Saturday.

In his second season, Clingan has been part of a dominant UConn squad that seeks to repeat as national champions. The 7-foot-2 center averaged 12.5 points on 64% shooting, 7.2 rebounds and 2.3 blocks.

At 280 pounds, he has an NBA-ready frame and can give a team a classic rim-running big who can protect the rim. UConn went 31-3 and is No. 1 in the East Region.

The Thunder could envision Clingan adding serious size at center. He could start alongside Holmgren for jumbo lineups or serve as an efficient backup center for OKC.

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Potential Thunder draft prospect Donovan Clingan helps UConn in win over San Diego State

Potential Thunder draft prospect Donovan Clingan helps in UConn’s win over San Diego State.

The Oklahoma City Thunder could have two 2024 first-round picks in the lottery range. They own the Houston Rockets’ top-four protected pick and the Utah Jazz’s top-10 protected pick. The former looks more likely to come to OKC than the latter.

With the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament underway, the top prospects are in the spotlight as they draw national attention for their postseason performances.

Considering the Thunder will likely have at least one lottery pick, plenty of possible additions via the draft give fans a chance to see how they match up in high-stress situations.

One possibility is UConn center Donovan Clingan. He finished with eight points on 4-of-9 shooting, eight rebounds, two assists and one block in 23 minutes in No. 1 UConn’s 82-52 win over No. 5 San Diego State in the Sweet 16 on Thursday.

In his second season, Clingan has been part of a dominant UConn squad that seeks to repeat as national champions. The 7-foot-2 center averaged 12.5 points on 64% shooting, 7.2 rebounds and 2.3 blocks.

At 280 pounds, he has an NBA-ready frame and can give a team a classic rim-running big who can protect the rim. UConn went 31-3 and is No. 1 in the East Region.

The Thunder could envision Clingan adding serious size at center. He could start alongside Holmgren for jumbo lineups or serve as an efficient backup center for OKC.

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Potential Thunder draft prospect Donovan Clingan dominates in UConn’s win over Northwestern

Potential Thunder draft prospect Donovan Clingan dominates in UConn’s win over Northwestern.

The Oklahoma City Thunder could have two 2024 first-round picks in the lottery range. They own the Houston Rockets’ top-four protected pick and the Utah Jazz’s top-10 protected pick. The former looks more likely to come to OKC than the latter.

As the NCAA Tournament progresses, the top prospects are in the spotlight as they draw national attention for their postseason performances.

Considering the Thunder will likely have at least one lottery pick, plenty of possible additions via the draft give fans a chance to see how they match up in high-stress situations.

One possibility is UConn center Donovan Clingan. He finished with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, 14 rebounds and eight blocks in 27 minutes in UConn’s 75-58 win over Northwestern in the round of 32 on Sunday.

In his second season, Clingan has been part of a dominant UConn squad that seeks to repeat as national champions. The 7-foot-2 center averaged 12.5 points on 64% shooting, 7.2 rebounds and 2.3 blocks.

At 280 pounds, he has an NBA-ready frame and can give a team a classic rim-running big who can protect the rim. UConn went 31-3 and is No. 1 in the East Region.

The Thunder could envision Clingan adding serious size at center. He could start alongside Holmgren for jumbo lineups or serve as an efficient backup center for OKC.

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Potential Thunder draft prospect Donovan Clingan leads UConn past Stetson in dominant win

Potential Thunder draft prospect Donovan Clingan leads UConn past Stetson in dominant win.

The Oklahoma City Thunder could have two 2024 first-round picks in the lottery range. They own the Houston Rockets’ top-four protected pick and the Utah Jazz’s top-10 protected pick. The former looks more likely to go to OKC than the latter.

As the NCAA Tournament progresses, the top prospects are in the spotlight as they draw national eyes for their postseason performances.

Considering the Thunder will likely have at least one lottery pick, plenty of possible additions via the draft give fans a chance to see how they match up in high-stress situations.

One possibility is UConn center Donovan Clingan. He finished with 19 points on 9-of-11 shooting, eight rebounds and four assists in 20 minutes in No. 1 UConn’s 91-52 win over No. 16 Stetson in the Round of 64 on Friday.

In his second season, Clingan has been part of a dominant UConn squad that seeks to repeat as national champions. The 7-foot-2 center averaged 12.5 points on 64% shooting, 7.2 rebounds and 2.3 blocks.

At 280 pounds, he has an NBA-ready frame and can give a team a classic rim-running big who can protect the rim. UConn went 31-3 and is No. 1 in the East Region.

The Thunder could hope to add Clingan to add some serious size at their center spot. He could start alongside Holmgren for jumbo lineups or serve as an efficient backup center for OKC.

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2024 NBA Mock Draft: Latest first-round projections at midway point of season

Rookie Wire took a look at the 2024 NBA draft class and where the top prospects stand as of Feb. 1.

The top NBA draft prospects worldwide have collectively reached the second halves of their respective seasons as they look to showcase themselves in front of scouts and executives.

The class this year has seen several players help their stock, while others have struggled and fallen down draft boards. Some players have also dealt with recent injuries and other factors that have prevented them from reaching their potential.

The draft is widely considered open at the top of the board, with several prospects in the conversation to be the first selection. Unlike last year, when Victor Wembanyama was the consensus No. 1 pick, there is no clear-cut choice this year.

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Prospects will continue to see their standing fluctuate over the remaining two-plus months of action on the court as scouts have more time to evaluate them. The sheer unknown atop the draft board should create plenty of storylines to follow over the remainder of the season.

The NBA announced on Wednesday that the draft will be expanded to a two-night format, with the first round set to take place on June 26 at the Barclays Center. The second round will be at ESPN’s Seaport District Studios in New York the following night.

Rookie Wire looked at the class and where the top prospects stand at this point of the season. The order was determined by the reverse order of the NBA standings as of Feb. 1.

Note: Player fit wasn’t necessarily taken into account with each pick. Pick protections and other notes courtesy of Tankathon.

UConn crushed by Seton Hall as Donovan Clingan suffers ankle injury

The UConn Huskies got ran out of their own gym by the Seton Hall Pirates to open up Big East conference play.

UConn was absolutely rolling heading into the Big East conference opener at home against Seton Hall on Wednesday, boasting a 10-1 record with wins over Indiana, Texas, North Carolina, and Gonzaga and only a narrow loss to Kansas.

40 minutes of gameplay later and the Huskies had their tail between their legs after suffering a 75-60 loss at the hands of an 8-4 Seton Hall squad whose only other Power-6 win came against Missouri.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, UConn saw star center Donovan Clingan exit the game in the second half with what is being described as an ankle sprain, and his status for his team’s next game on Saturday against Saint John’s remains up in the air.

The Huskies were stymied by Seton Hall’s trademark aggressive defense, turning the ball over a whopping 17 times while shooting just 37.9% from the field and 19% (4-21) from three point land.

For the Pirates, veteran guard Kadary Richmond led the charge – dropping 23 points with eight steals, six rebounds, and five assists.

It was a clear reminder to UConn, and college basketball fans, that winning in the Big East is never ever easy, and while the Huskies remain a favorite to win the national title they are by no means impervious to a bad offensive night.

5 NBA prospects with rising draft stock after the opening rounds of March Madness

UCLA’s Amari Bailey looks like a top prospect yet again.

We had an exciting opening weekend in the opening rounds of March Madness, and several prospects significantly helped their draft stock.

NBA players are selected based on their full resume and body of work and not just their most recent games on the court. But it never hurts to play well under the bright lights of the men’s NCAA tournament.

Based on the first two rounds of the Big Dance, these were some of the most notable players who made the best cases for themselves thus far (and don’t forget to check out our mock draft from before the tourney).

The best takes and the sharpest bets on all the hoops storylines you need to know. Sign up for our Layup Lines newsletter, hitting your inbox on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Ohio State basketball makes cut for 2022 four-star center

Ohio State basketball is looking to add a center to the 2022 recruiting class and has made the cut for one of the top bigs in the country.

If there was a glaring need from last year’s Ohio State basketball squad, it was the absence of a true center. Chris Holtman has been working hard to fill that void this year bringing in Indiana transfer, Joey Brunk who stands at 6- feet, 11-inches.

The Buckeyes are also still in the running for five-star center Efton Reid who was set to make his decision on April 15, but has pushed his commitment date back and has kept college choice very quiet. While Reid, who is the No. 3 center in the 2021 class would be a huge get, there are no guarantees he ends up in Columbus. And even if he does, can you ever have too many bigs?

Even if the Bucks miss out on Reid, Brunk will fill a need for this coming year but will be out of eligibility at season’s end. So, Holtman and company are looking to add a center to the 2022 class and have made the shortlist for Donovan Clingan out of Bristol, Connecticut.

Clingan is a seven-footer and is ranked as the No. 6 center in the 2022 recruiting class according to 247 Sports composite rankings. Joining the Buckeyes on Clingan’s list are Michigan, Georgetown, Syracuse, Providence, Rutgers, Notre Dame, and UConn.

There is no crystal ball prediction as to where Clingan lands at this point, but we’ll keep you up to date as things develop.

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Michigan State Basketball still in ‘constant contact’ with two 2022 4-star recruiting prospects

Michigan State Basketball is still in regular contact with two 2022 4-star recruits in Jaden Schutt and Donovan Clingan.

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While I doubt very much that this has been the best summer of Tom Izzo’s life, it has been, in my opinion, the best recruiting summer he’s ever had. For the 2021 recruiting class, Izzo was able to land the commitment of 5-star Max Christie along with the two best players in the state of Michigan for 2021 in Pierre Brooks and Jaden Akins.

The 2022 class is also loaded. While it’s possible that one of these players could reclassify to 2021, the Spartans currently already have commitments from 5-stars Emoni Bates and Enoch Boakye for 2022. However, it appears as though Izzo is not yet done adding to Michigan State Basketball’s 2022 recruiting class.

Over the weekend, Jake Weingarten of Stockrisers reported that Izzo is still in regular contact with two 4-star prospects in the 2022 class: Jaden Schutt and Donovan Clingan.

Schutt is a top-100 nationally ranked player from Illinois who plays shooting guard:

Donovan Clingan is a beast of a center at 7’1″ and a stat-accumulating monster:

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