When Donovan Clingan was selected seventh overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the summer, plenty of folks figured he’d one day become a major defensive presence. Few people thought it would happen in his first few NBA games.
While sample sizes are small and the season is still young, Clingan finds himself in very good company. Through four games, Clingan is near the top in the following defensive categories for all NBA players averaging 10 to 15 minutes per game (filtering for minimum minutes helps with stats where a lower value is better):
- 1st: Blocks per game (2.