Blazers Rookie Class Given Surprising Grade Through First Season

The Portland Trail Blazers are one of the teams around the NBA that are looking for young superstars. They have been trying to figure out which of their young guys has the potential to do that.

It's part of the reason why they didn't make a move at the trade deadline. They decided to stand pat and not sell off their assets as they try to make a push to make the playoffs.

They think that making a run at the playoffs would be a valuable experience for their rookies and other young players. In order to get to that point, they need their rookies to play well.

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The Blazers have gotten some solid play from their rookies this year. They've needed it with the amount of injuries they have suffered.

Bleacher Report gave their rookie class a pretty solid grade for this season, giving them a B grade. It really just includes Donovan Clingan, who was the seventh overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Clingan has had an up-and-down season, mainly because of injuries. He hasn't been able to stay healthy for long chunks of the season.

Still, he has been really solid when he's been out there, especially on defense. He continues to block shots at a rate that proves he could become an elite rim protector.

Clingan is in the 98th percentile when it comes to block rate among bigs. He just needs to be out there more because he still only averages 17.5 minutes per game.

The Blazers are bullish about what Clingan can be as a pro. They are likely going to try to trade Deandre Ayton in the offseason so they can give Clingan a path to more playing time.

Ayton hasn't been good in Portland and continues to show some horrible effort. Getting Clingan out there as the center of the future is the right move.

If the Blazers can keep Clingan healthy next season, he should only get better. Right now as a rookie, Clingan is averaging six points, 7.1 rebounds, and one assist per game.

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