2026-27 projection
| GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | 3PM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 72 | 29.0 | .530 | .690 | 1.0 | 13.0 | 11.1 | 2.2 | 0.6 | 1.8 | 1.3 |
Role and evidence
Clingan started all 77 games he played in 2025-26, producing 12.1 points, 11.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.7 blocks in 27.2 minutes while making 1.1 threes per game. ESPN, accessed 2026-07-18. Hashtag notes the three-point and free-throw improvement and ranks him No. 46 in dynasty. Hashtag Basketball, updated 2026-07-02
He projects for 29 starting minutes. Robert Williams III protects him from overload, while Portland's guard-heavy construction makes Clingan indispensable as a screen setter, rebounder and back-line defender. Neither Yang Hansen, Branden Carlson nor Micah Potter threatens the starting job.
Fantasy value
- 9-cat: picks 45-60; stronger in punt-FT builds. His low turnovers and emerging threes distinguish him from pure rim runners.
- Points: top 55-75, with upside in platforms that award double-double bonuses.
- Dynasty: top 40-55; Dynatyze ranks him No. 46 on its July 18 current-season board. Dynatyze, updated 2026-07-18
Range
- Ceiling: 31 minutes, 13/12 with two blocks and top-35 category value.
- Floor: 25 minutes if Williams is unusually healthy; still a 10-rebound, 1.5-block starter.
- Swing variables: foul rate, FT volume, three-point accuracy and Portland's willingness to close with a traditional center.
Related: Portland Trail Blazers · Robert Williams III · Deni Avdija
Career record
Pre-NBA: UConn, two seasons (2022-23, 2023-24). As a freshman he backed up Adama Sanogo: 39 games, 13.1 minutes, 6.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.8 blocks on .655 FG and .517 FT, Big East All-Freshman. As a sophomore he took the starting job: 35 games, 22.5 minutes, 13.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.5 blocks on .639 FG, .583 FT and .250 from three on negligible volume. He won NCAA titles in both seasons, was AP Honorable Mention All-American in 2024, and was named East Region Most Outstanding Player and a Final Four All-Tournament selection that March. He missed roughly a month in December 2023 with a foot injury. Draft: 2024, first round, seventh overall, Portland — no draft-night trade.
| Season | Age | Team | GP | MPG | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG% | FT% | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 20 | POR | 67 | 19.8 | 6.5 | 7.9 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 1.6 | 0.2 | .539 | .596 | 1.1 |
| 2025-26 | 21 | POR | 77 | 27.2 | 12.1 | 11.6 | 2.1 | 0.6 | 1.7 | 1.1 | .520 | .680 | 1.2 |
| Career | POR | 144 | 23.7 | 9.5 | 9.9 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 0.7 | .527 | .651 | 1.2 |
Fantasy history: 2024-25: outside the top 100 in 9-cat per-game value — he led the rookie class in blocks (110 total, 1.6 per game) and made All-Rookie Second Team, but 19.8 minutes, .596 FT and no threes capped him. 2025-26: a clear top-100 season and plausibly inside the top 60 given 11.6 boards, 1.7 blocks and 1.1 threes at 1.2 turnovers, though no season-end Basketball Monster or Hashtag rank for 2025-26 was verifiable at time of writing — treat any specific number as an estimate. Points leagues rate him lower than categories in both seasons: the rebounding and blocks that carry a 9-cat line are worth far less per unit than scoring, and 12.1 points is a modest base.
Durability: 67 games (2024-25), 77 games (2025-26). The rookie-year absences trace to a grade 2 left MCL sprain suffered November 23, 2024 against Houston, which cost him seven games, plus a separate left knee sprain that cost one game on January 8, 2025; the remainder were load-management and minor issues. The five games missed in 2025-26 were not attributable to a single documented injury in the sources checked. He has not had a surgery or a multi-week soft-tissue absence in the NBA.
Trajectory: The second-year jump was almost entirely opportunity converted cleanly — 7.4 more minutes produced 5.6 more points and 3.7 more rebounds, which is faster than linear and indicates the per-minute rate rose too, not just the workload. The three-point line is the real change: 0.2 makes per game became 1.1, and the FT% climbed from .596 to .680, which together lift him out of the punt-FT ghetto that traps most rim-running centers. FG% dipped from .539 to .520, the expected cost of a shot diet that now includes perimeter attempts, and that trade is fantasy-positive at these volumes. He turns 23 in February 2027 and has played only 144 NBA games, so he sits before the aging curve rather than on it, and the remaining growth levers are foul rate and minutes rather than skill. The constraint on 2026-27 is not development but Portland's willingness to play him past 29 minutes with Robert Williams III available and a crowded guard rotation dictating small lineups.
Career sources: ESPN career stats · Wikipedia · RotoWire player page · Sports Illustrated, MCL injury report
Open questions
- Can Clingan reach 70% at the line without losing his rebounding edge?
- Does Nori permit enough trail threes to make 1.0 per game sustainable?