Exclusive Why I'm Excited about the 2025-26 season

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I think Clingan is massively underrated. But, he's my favorite Blazer, so maybe I'm biased. What do the numbers say? If he plays 30 mpg this season with the same efficiency as last season (I actually expect him to improve), his averages would be...

Rebounding: (30/19.8)*7.9 = 12.0 rpg, which would have been 6th in the league.
Blocked Shots: (30/19.8)*1.6 = 2.5 bpg, which would have been 1st in the league.
Points: (30/19.8)*6.5 = 9.9 ppg, which means that he'll basically average a double-double.

He'd have been the only player in the league to be top 6 in the league in both rebounds and blocks.

Today's Exciting Video: Donovan "Klingon"
 
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Wizard Mentor said:
I think Clingan is massively underrated. But, he's my favorite Blazer, so maybe I'm biased. What do the numbers say? If he plays 30 mpg this season with the same efficiency as last season (I actually expect him to improve), his averages would be...

Rebounding: (30/19.8)*7.9 = 12.0 rpg, which would have been 6th in the league.
Blocked Shots: (30/19.8)*1.6 = 2.5 bpg, which would have been 1st in the league.
Points: (30/19.8)*6.5 = 9.9 ppg, which means that he'll basically average a double-double.

He'd have been the only player in the league to be top 6 in the league in both rebounds and blocks.

Today's Exciting Video: Donovan "Klingon"
Click to expand...


you might want to revisit your blocked shot calculation. Wemby blocked 3.8/game
 
wizenheimer said:
you might want to revisit your blocked shot calculation. Wemby blocked 3.8/game
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Apparently, Wemby did not qualify according to espn:
upload_2025-8-5_10-8-39.png

Regardless, having a player who averages 2.5 bpg would be "good" to have, Wemby or no. It's also worth noting that many high bpg guys in the past hunt blocks in favor of playing solid defense. Clingan doesn't really do that (maybe hence the high rebounding rate).
 

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Wizard Mentor said:
Apparently, Wemby did not qualify according to espn:
View attachment 74862

Regardless, having a player who averages 2.5 bpg would be "good" to have, Wemby or no. It's also worth noting that many high bpg guys in the past hunt blocks in favor of playing solid defense. Clingan doesn't really do that (maybe hence the high rebounding rate).
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wasn't arguing the point really, but since you were normalizing Clingan to 30 minutes you probably should have mentioned Wemby, even if he didn't have enough games to qualify. Clingan was great at blocking shots but he also was great at altering shots he didn't block

you forgot to mention Clingan's power on the offensive glass. He was one of the best in the NBA, and possessions after offensive rebounds are about the most efficient possession in basketball
 
I don't know if Clingan can stay on the court 30 minutes a game reliably due to the fouling he does, but his per 30s would be:

9.88 points, 11.94 rebounds, 2.49 blocks, and 4.28 fouls

Also, that .596 FT% needs to go up or he'll be sitting out of key stretches of the 4th for fear of intentional fouling.

(EDIT: sorry I didn't see the earlier post)
 
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Everything Beagle said:
I don't know if Clingan can stay on the court 30 minutes a game reliably due to the fouling he does, but his per 30s would be:

9.88 points, 11.94 rebounds, 2.49 blocks, and 4.28 fouls

Also, that .596 FT% needs to go up or he'll be sitting out of key stretches of the 4th for fear of intentional fouling.

(EDIT: sorry I didn't see the earlier post)
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I feel like he'll also improve, so I'm pretty stoked. Even if he doesn't, he'll be great if he just ups his minutes to 30. Regardless, it'll be interesting to so how he does.
 
Clingan needs a go-to shot in the key. A hook shot would be unblockable. Few centers of his size should ever put the ball on the floor other than maybe one dribble. He needs to catch and shoot. He needs a set shot from the arc, a set shot from about 15, and a go-to move in the paint.
 
Pinwheel1 said:
Clingan needs a go-to shot in the key. A hook shot would be unblockable. Few centers of his size should ever put the ball on the floor other than maybe one dribble. He needs to catch and shoot. He needs a set shot from the arc, a set shot from about 15, and a go-to move in the paint.
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I'd like to see all our bigs develop the Duncan bank shot from the elbow or paint..using the glass is such an underrated midrange shot. Hook shot and floater as well.
 
Thybulle only played 22 games last year, but in those games he shot 43.8% from 3. If he shoots 38% from 3 next year, it'll be fire!
upload_2025-8-5_18-15-25.png

Fun (1 minute long) Thybulle video from last season:
 

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riverman said:
I'd like to see all our bigs develop the Duncan bank shot from the elbow or paint..using the glass is such an underrated midrange shot. Hook shot and floater as well.
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There used to be a coach named John Wooden who demanded that his players shoot bank shots. IIRC he was a pretty successful coach.
 
Wizard Mentor said:
I think Clingan is massively underrated. But, he's my favorite Blazer, so maybe I'm biased. What do the numbers say? If he plays 30 mpg this season with the same efficiency as last season (I actually expect him to improve), his averages would be...

Rebounding: (30/19.8)*7.9 = 12.0 rpg, which would have been 6th in the league.
Blocked Shots: (30/19.8)*1.6 = 2.5 bpg, which would have been 1st in the league.
Points: (30/19.8)*6.5 = 9.9 ppg, which means that he'll basically average a double-double.

He'd have been the only player in the league to be top 6 in the league in both rebounds and blocks.

Today's Exciting Video: Donovan "Klingon"
Click to expand...

Love that Jordan is on that list. Where’s LeBron?
 
Wizard Mentor said:
Nice. You know the video I'd love to see? A montage of all of the players who had the ball in the paint, saw DC, and dribbled away from the basket. He intimidates guards in the paint. Call the video something like "They Run Away from Donovan Clingan".
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at least a half dozen times a game, probably more, I saw opposing players penetrating the Blazer defense nad gtting up shot. Clingan didn't block those shot but he intimidated the shooter and altered the shots

Clingan, as a rookie, was a better NBA C than Ayton in his 7th season
 
wizenheimer said:
at least a half dozen times a game, probably more, I saw opposing players penetrating the Blazer defense nad gtting up shot. Clingan didn't block those shot but he intimidated the shooter and altered the shots

Clingan, as a rookie, was a better NBA C than Ayton in his 7th season
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Which will likely apply to Yang as well. In this era of analytics, there are more players who will decide not to take a possibly more-difficult-than-necessary 2-point- shot and instead pass the ball.
 
Pinwheel1 said:
Clingan needs a go-to shot in the key. A hook shot would be unblockable. Few centers of his size should ever put the ball on the floor other than maybe one dribble. He needs to catch and shoot. He needs a set shot from the arc, a set shot from about 15, and a go-to move in the paint.
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Yang can show him how to keep the ball high.

 
blazerfan11 said:
Which will likely apply to Yang as well. In this era of analytics, there are more players who will decide not to take a possibly more-difficult-than-necessary 2-point- shot and instead pass the ball.
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Yang isn't the physical force that Clingan is. Not sure he'll ever be. In SL, Clingan essentially blocked twice a many shots as Yang. Clingan was a monster on the glass too, especially on the offensive end. Yang was pretty weak at rebounding. Clingan averaged 12.3 rebounds and 3.5 on offense; Yang average 5 & 1; Caleb Love outrebounded Yang

I'd anticipate Yang to try and play with a little more finesse and Clingan to play a more intimidating style on defense and the boards. They really aren't similar players, except for height, but the sample size for Yang is way too small to gauge much of anything honestly. I think he's a lot more of a project than Clingan was
 
wizenheimer said:
Yang isn't the physical force that Clingan is. Not sure he'll ever be. In SL, Clingan essentially blocked twice a many shots as Yang. Clingan was a monster on the glass too, especially on the offensive end. Yang was pretty weak at rebounding. Clingan averaged 12.3 rebounds and 3.5 on offense; Yang average 5 & 1; Caleb Love outrebounded Yang

I'd anticipate Yang to try and play with a little more finesse and Clingan to play a more intimidating style on defense and the boards. They really aren't similar players, except for height, but the sample size for Yang is way too small to gauge much of anything honestly. I think he's a lot more of a project than Clingan was
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It'll be interesting to see if Yang copies Joker in terms of physicality 3 or 4 years from now. He is certainly going to try to copy his 3 point shooting. Right now, Yang is MUCH weaker than Clingan was his rookie season. But, Yang is very humble/realistic, and is a very hard worker.
 
My favorite type of Clingan Block? When he comes from behind one of his teammates who's guarding the ball, and still gets the block well after the ball is out of the opponents hands. I've only seen elite athletes do this in the past. Check out the first 5 seconds of each of the videos below:









FWIW, my second favorite type of block is when he blocks 3 pointers. Who am I kidding, I love them all!
 
Wizard Mentor said:
Nice. You know the video I'd love to see? A montage of all of the players who had the ball in the paint, saw DC, and dribbled away from the basket. He intimidates guards in the paint. Call the video something like "They Run Away from Donovan Clingan".
Click to expand...
I like to call those NOPEs.
 
One of my favorite Trail Blazers -- all time -- is Nic Batum. I liked him before his draft. I liked how he ran and rebounded in traffic and passed -- even in Summer League. BUT he was maddeningly inconsistent, and his strengths were limited in part by himself and definitely by his coach not using his playmaking abilities and movement and more on O. Those Blazers were a spread the court and a 2-man game or bust. Rudy was also utilized in a limited way.

THE real crux of the thing that applies to THIS team?

Active defense got Nico moving. Aggressive. And then at both ends. If he got to stand around on D, he'd too often park it in the corner and disappear on O. Have him guard Tony Parker? It was a fun game. He should have been making life hell for the 1st or 2nd best opponent on a nightly basis. Nate didn't do that. Horrible. Toumani starts with an aggressive attitude and Billups plays him to his strengths -- and that positively affect the entire team.

Ant's ability to get his own shot at 3 levels has become pretty strong. His "gravity" on the floor opens space for others, but he's best as an end point as a guard, and he's no Dame or Harden or ...
Ayton's midrange shooting was dang good. Not his 3's. Not his D or rim protection. Not his aggression (and the lack thereof). And nowhere near enough O at the rim.
I like both guys. I'm glad they are former Blazers.

A team that plays with intensity and movement and connectedness on O is a team I want to see play that way at the other end. Get a team actually and repetitively playing that way AND then see what's needed in a year. D-up, rebound and run. The best Blazers were near the top on all 3.

It's not that I disregard or discount posters like HCP who well point out the obvious, important, and likely-to-continue-deficiency on 3 pointers due to personnel. And it's not to grant his point (or someone else's) and quickly move on to my views. I say I agree that's the situation. Looking at what they are -- this team -- they have ALREADY put the emphasis on length, size, athleticism and defense in a League that has supposedly been broken by the proliferation of the 3. This team is zagging. I'm bored by the 5-out O and glad whenever a good team chucking 3's gets blown out by 20 or more!

I look forward to the 2025-2026 season.
 
... and after watching every Clingan block up above, the thing I like most about his rim protection is that Clingan isn't a big-time, uber athlete, skyscraper, toss it out of bounds defender. He spikes it from time to time, true.
His focus, effort, footwork, hip flip, verticality and timing -- all of this and more -- means he isn't the Sultan of Swat or Mutombo with the time to finger wag. He blocks shots and gives himself or a teammate the chance to gain possession and go the other way. It's no less impressive to me than Walton's overhead outlet pass or Kevin Love's 2-handed chest pass the length of the court. It's a Bill Russell winning play.

Yes, part of it is he's an enormous human being and cannot soar. What he does is effectively, efficiently makes use of his gifts. I'm pretty optimistic that he can be a starting center on a contending team.
 
HoopsFanAZ said:
... and after watching every Clingan block up above, the thing I like most about his rim protection is that Clingan isn't a big-time, uber athlete, skyscraper, toss it out of bounds defender. He spikes it from time to time, true.
His focus, effort, footwork, hip flip, verticality and timing -- all of this and more -- means he isn't the Sultan of Swat or Mutombo with the time to finger wag. He blocks shots and gives himself or a teammate the chance to gain possession and go the other way. It's no less impressive to me than Walton's overhead outlet pass or Kevin Love's 2-handed chest pass the length of the court. It's a Bill Russell winning play.

Yes, part of it is he's an enormous human being and cannot soar. What he does is effectively, efficiently makes use of his gifts. I'm pretty optimistic that he can be a starting center on a contending team.
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mark eaton 2.0
 
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