Evaluating Donovan Clingan’s fit on the Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets struck gold in the draft lottery a few weeks ago when the Brooklyn Nets’ 2024 draft pick, to which they hold the rights, moved from ninth overall projected to third. Although this draft has been touted as disappointing due to the lack of consensus elite talent at the top, scouts still believe there are solid long-term starters among the top ranks.

One of those players is UConn center Donovan Clingan, a mammoth prospect, standing at a colossal 7’2 and weighing 265 pounds. Clingan has drawn comparisons to Walker Kessler due to his interior defensive ability; he is arguably the best interior defender in the entire draft. With his size, reach and defensive instincts, scouts believe Clingan has the ability to one day become an NBA defensive anchor.

Clingan’s offense is a work in progress. He is an effective rim runner and sets solid screens, but he is more of a pick and roll player than a return to the basket option. Clingan has surprising footwork and decision-making ability. Clingan believes he will one day be able to stretch the court and even said in the post-lottery press conference that he sees himself being able to share the court with Rockets center Alperen Sengun.

And that premise touches on Rockets general manager Rafael Stone’s central question. With the third pick, will he target the best player available or the prospect he sees as the best fit for his team? And how does he see the future of Sengun who is eligible for a contract extension this summer?

Sengun was arguably Houston’s best offensive player last season, averaging 21 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists per game. He was the focal point of head coach Ime Udoka’s offense and the Rockets’ main option in critical moments of close games. But it remains an open question whether Stone and his team would prefer a more defensively versatile player long term at center. Udoka often needed to work around Sengun’s defensive limitations, sometimes hiding him defensively on opponents on the wing when facing an athletic frontcourt counterpart.

The Rockets could draft Clingan and use him as a complement to Sengun, either off the bench or in hopes that one day they could play together if either develops an outside touch. But if they viewed Sengun as their long-term centerpiece, would they exhaust a blue-chip asset like the third pick in the draft on a player at the same position? Wouldn’t it be smarter to allocate assets by selecting a player who could fit well with Sengun, like Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard? Another option could be trading the pick in a package to Brooklyn for Mikal Bridges.

We won’t know what Rockets executives really think about Sengun until the status of his contract is determined. But what they do with their draft pick in this upcoming draft could provide some sort of indication, especially if Clingan is on the board.