The latest NBA mock draft from ESPN has the Blazers taking Donovan Clingan

We’re going to learn the official NBA draft order with the lottery soon enough, but now that we’re in the postseason, we’re a step closer to learning who’s getting taken later this year.

That includes UConn big man Donovan Clingan, whose draft stock rose in men’s March Madness and mocks had him going in the top-5.

In the latest NBA mock draft from our Bryan Kalbrosky, he had Clingan going No. 6 to the Toronto Raptors. And in the latest mock from ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo, they’ve got Clingan going No. 3 to the Portland Trail Blazers, which would be intriguing given that they have Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams.

Here’s what they had say about the pick:

The Trail Blazers appear too early in their rebuilding process to be overly concerned with positional fit and might not be married long-term to center DeAndre Ayton, who has two more years on his contract. Portland could be attracted to the size, length, defensive prowess and passing ability of Clingan, who is coming off back-to-back national championships and has plenty of room for growth alongside the Blazers’ core at just 20 years old.

Make sure to check out our latest 2024 NBA mock draft from Bryan Kalbrosky!