In preparation for his transition to the NBA, UConn center Donovan Clingan has been studying the best player in the league.
UConn head coach Dan Hurley told ESPN's Jeremy Woo that Clingan, who is one of the top prospects in this week's NBA draft, was directed to watch film on three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić and study his career progression.
"What we talked to him about was, don't get caught up in mastering the game inside and out," Hurley said. "We'd show him [Denver Nuggets star] Nikola Jokić, from an offensive standpoint when he was younger. So that Donovan would understand that when Jokić was 19, that wasn't what he was doing right now. You're watching what he's doing right now and thinking I should be doing that right now. Well, that's not what he was doing [at that age]. If he was, well f--k, he wouldn't have been drafted in the second round."
To illustrate Hurley's point, Jokić averaged just 10.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists as a 19-year-old rookie in the 2015-16 season. However, he quickly made the leap to becoming one of the best players in the league, earning his first All-Star appearance in 2019 and his first MVP in 2021.
Clingan averaged 6.9 points as a freshman and made a significant improvement as a sophomore with 13.9 points per game. He was a force on the defensive end and helped lead UConn to back-to-back national championships.
No Ceilings @NoCeilingsNBAWho's excited to see where Donovan Clingan ends up on draft night? 👀<br><br>7'2" | 282 lbs | C - <a href="">@UConnMBB</a> <br><br>◦12.9 PTS, 7.5 REB, 1.5 AST, 0.5 STL, 2.5 BLK<br>◦64.3 FG% 28.6 3P% (8 3PA) 57.4 FT%<br>◦35 Games, 22.5 MIN<br><br>A 2x National Champ that is a dominant interior presence, excellent… <a href="">
B/R's Jonathan Wasserman projected Clingan to be selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the No. 6 pick in his latest mock draft. Wasserman wrote in his scouting report of the 7'2" big man that "there should be a few in the lottery who can use his rim protection and physicality."
Clingan should be able to make an immediate impact as a rim protector in his rookie year, and he has the talent to develop into a solid contributor on offense as well. If he continues to study Jokić, he could be on the path toward stardom in the NBA.
