PORTLAND, Ore. — It was Thursday morning, hours after the primary spherical of the NBA Draft had ended, when Portland Path Blazers common supervisor Joe Cronin knew he needed to place a name to veteran heart Deandre Ayton. The evening earlier than, Cronin used the seventh choose to draft Connecticut heart Donovan Clingan. Figuring out how egos and emotions will be bruised when groups draft heralded gamers, the Blazers’ prime govt wished to the touch base together with his starter from the 2023-24 season.
When Cronin reached Ayton, who’s coaching with the Bahamas nationwide group, he mentioned there was no steam coming from the opposite finish of the road. No passive-aggressive silence. No insecurity about his standing.
“Deandre was extremely excited,” Cronin mentioned.
All of the questions Ayton might have requested — Why did you choose a middle? … Is he changing me? … What does this imply for me? — had been as a substitute framed in a constructive tone.
“He was like, ‘OK, the place can we take this?’” Cronin mentioned. “(He requested) How can he assist me? How can I assist him? What can we do collectively?’ His angle was nice about the entire state of affairs.”
The cellphone dialog goes a great distance in answering a clouded image at heart for the Blazers, who even have veteran Robert Williams III and second-year sharpshooter Duop Reath.
After spending a lot of final fall and early winter annoyed with Ayton skipping rehabilitation appointments, being late to apply and throwing tantrums, the franchise now celebrates Ayton as a constructing block. Though Cronin can’t say for positive what lies forward for this Blazers roster within the coming weeks, there are sturdy indications Ayton might be in the midst of something the Blazers do subsequent season.
For starters, coach Chauncey Billups is getting ready to fly to Valencia, Spain, to look at and help Ayton as The Bahamas competes within the FIBA Olympic qualifying match. Billups might be within the stands when The Bahamas opens with Finland on Tuesday. As Billups engages with Ayton, it’ll little doubt embrace speak about increasing his function subsequent season. Billups on Saturday informed The Athletic he intends to experiment subsequent season with the 7-foot Ayton at energy ahead and the 7-foot-2 Clingan at heart. He additionally mentioned he continues to encourage Ayton to increase his regular midrange jumper to maybe incorporate a 3-point shot.
“I’m prepared to attempt issues,” Billups mentioned. “A number of groups are enjoying huge — Cleveland, Denver, Memphis … I’m going to attempt having (Clingan) and D.A. on the market collectively. But it surely relies upon who’s on the ground. Is it Jaren Jackson? Is it Aaron Gordon? Is it Evan Mobley?”
Billups nods his head within the affirmative and continues: “What I’m not going to do is put him on the market to protect Jayson Tatum. Or Kevin Durant … it’s going to be situational. However I’m telling you, I believe the league goes to try to get larger within the inside. So, I believe it will likely be enjoyable.”
It’s too early to say definitively whether or not the Blazers will enter September’s coaching camp with Ayton and Clingan. The Blazers have the utmost 15 gamers below contract, however Cronin informed The Athletic he stays in a proactive mode of upgrading the roster.
“I’m continuously on the lookout for methods to get higher,” Cronin mentioned. “That’s my problem. We aren’t adequate but. We’ve to get higher. We like what we’ve achieved, however we are able to’t relaxation. Gotta hold transferring ahead. Quite a lot of what we’re doing is participant improvement … you recognize, we’ve numerous younger guys we’ve to prepare. However our problem can also be getting as many high-level gamers as attainable.”
Nonetheless, it has change into obvious Portland is intrigued by what an Ayton-Clingan pairing can accomplish, both collectively or as a platoon.
Billups was fast to level out the Blazers’ last-place standing in rim safety final season, so he was ecstatic when Clingan — who has gained a title the previous 4 years he has performed basketball (two in highschool, two at Connecticut) — slipped to the Blazers at seventh total.
“Our rim protection was an issue for us, we struggled there,” Billups mentioned. “So I really like what we did. We went out and acquired the very best within the draft at defending the rim.”
Billups mentioned he’ll make use of the identical drop protection he used final season (the middle drops towards the basket whereas defending the pick-and-roll), when Portland ranked twenty third out of 30 groups in defensive effectivity. Dropping to guard the rim is Clingan’s power, which is accentuated by his potential to remain vertical, a talent he mentioned was honed by Connecticut coach Dan Hurley. Clingan mentioned his drive to play elite protection comes from his mother, Stacey, who handed away from breast most cancers when he was in eighth grade. His mother was a three-time convention participant of the 12 months at Maine.
“My mother at all times informed me protection wins ball video games; offense sells tickets,” Clingan mentioned Saturday at his introductory information convention in Portland. “So it’s a must to play nice protection to win video games, and I wish to win video games. I’ll take a block off the backboard over a dunk any day of the week.”
That’s why Billups mentioned the Blazers’ defensive rules this season will keep the identical, however he expects totally different outcomes.
“He’ll spend numerous time with that pink paint below his toes in our protection,” Billups mentioned of Clingan. “I believe most groups will rethink attacking our paint … that adjustments it.”
Billups mentioned he additionally envisions Ayton and Clingan giving the Blazers a sneaky benefit. Ayton, after all, is a top-notch midrange shooter. Final season, Ayton made 55.2 p.c of his 2-point pictures from 16 toes and past. However what many may not pay attention to is Clingan’s capturing potential. Throughout his pre-draft exercise in Portland, Clingan shocked the Blazers together with his exterior capturing, which included NBA 3-pointers.
“I used to be shocked. Actually shocked,” Billups mentioned. “He shot it, and it was like … a simple shot.”
After the exercise, Billups took Clingan into his workplace and interviewed him. One in every of his first inquiries to Clingan was why he tried solely 9 3-pointers over two seasons at UConn.
“He gave me the most effective solutions a child might have given me: He mentioned, ‘I simply wished to do what coach wanted me to do to win.’ And to me, that’s only a winner.”
Billups mentioned Clingan will enter the season with a inexperienced mild to shoot 3-pointers, offered he’s open and it’s a sensible shot. With the Blazers constructing round Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson, two gamers who prefer to assault the basket, Billups mentioned it’s important for the Blazers to have huge males who can area the ground.
“Understanding that we’re going to assault the basket, having (Clingan) area … their huge goes to must decide (cease the drive or guard the skin shot),” Billups mentioned. “And that’s a weapon you need to use. So it will likely be enjoyable for me to design stuff to have that, as a result of even on the finish of final 12 months, I used to be speaking to D.A. about increasing his vary.”
Cronin and Billups additionally famous that Clingan is an underrated passer who has a radical understanding of the nuance and really feel of performs. All of which provides to why Clingan has a lot attraction to the Blazers — and to Ayton.
“On the finish of the day, that’s the one factor that issues to me: successful,” Clingan mentioned. “It’s not the factors, it’s not the rebounds.
“It’s if my group gained and your group misplaced.”
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(Photograph of Joe Cronin, Donovan Clingan and Chauncey Billups: Cameron Browne / NBAE by way of Getty Photos)