Trail Blazers Still Reaching for the Right Center

At the beginning of the season the Portland Trail Blazers looked to be deep at the center position. Though none were considered stars outright, former first-overall pick Deandre Ayton, defensive guru Robert Williams III, and new lottery selection Donovan Clingan formed a stronger and more talented rotation than most NBA teams could boast.

In practice, it hasn’t exactly turned out that way. Injuries and sporadic play have left Portland’s center corps in a murky mist. Rotations morph from game to game, along with availability. Whenever something seems to work, another thing changes.

The frustration from Portland’s center carousel lies at the heart of today’s Blazer’s Edge Mailbag question.

Dave,

It seems pretty clear to me. Put Donovan Clingan in the game and Donovan Clingan scores a career high. If you don’t play Donovan Clingan then Donovan Clingan does not. So why does it take an act of god or an injury to Ayton to get him in the game? Haven’t we had enough of this? Ayton should have been traded at the deadline. Since we’re not pretending to win anymore why not play DC and let him develop?

Eddie

I hear you. There’s a lot to praise about Donovan Clingan. I think the Blazers were well-served selecting him in the draft. But it’s not quite as simple as you’re painting.

Though the Blazers are deep at the center position, all three of their pivots have flaws. Deandre Ayton is the most offensively accomplished but his defense isn’t good, a stuffed hamster could set better screens, and his contributions are inconsistent. Clingan is great when he gets to play his style of game but his stamina, range, and foul issues shed doubt on his ability to play major minutes. Robert Williams III has a motor, experience, and defense to burn but he can’t stay healthy or score outside of three feet.

No single one of those players is the answer yet. Nor is there enough consistency between them that the Blazers can define a style of play in the middle and let the three platoon the position. Clingan plays much differently than Ayton. Williams is different than both.

At this point Portland is stuck relying on a few consistencies. All three can rebound. That’s a strong point of emphasis with this year’s team. In general the Blazers keep their centers close to the middle on defense. If you see a 7-footer out at the arc in anything but a naked desperation close-out, something has probably gone wrong. The centers are also part of dribble hand-off and screen action at the top of the floor, favoring rolls towards the bucket, because that’s something they can all do. That’s what we’re seeing night to night because that’s what the Blazers can plan for.

If you want more than that, the team has to get a center who can check all the boxes at once with enough endurance and experience to suit up against opposing starters, playing 30 minutes per game.

Williams could do that now, but he’s available for fewer than half of Portland’s games. Clingan is not your guy yet, though he could develop over time. That leaves Ayton as the starter. It’s not perfect, but they’re making do.

The good part of this is that you’re going to see each player shine in their own way. Ayton was a strong part of Portland’s recent winning streaks. His energy—defensively, even—helped them mightily. His offensive ability kept them strong enough to survive shaky quarters too. Without him they wouldn’t have won 11 of 12. Questions linger, though. Can he do that for 82 games, even against high-quality opponents?

You saw something similar from Clingan last night. He looked pretty good against the Nuggets on both ends of the floor. But he didn’t stop Denver’s offensive tide. The game was already decided when he checked in. Would he have looked as good lined up against Nikola Jokic as Portland’s first-line center? Or would he foul out in 15 minutes, frustrated and losing confidence?

Despite the bright spots, none of these efforts are going to turn around the team this year. As long as that’s so, the grass will always look greener with the other center.

This situation can’t last forever. I do believe the Blazers will end up trading one of their bigs. Clingan is the only one of the three they seemed married to long-term, and that’s because they just drafted him. The market wasn’t right to move their bigs at the trade deadline, but player availability and the advancing of contracts might open up new opportunities in the summer.

Until then it’s probably best to enjoy the contributions you do get from Portland’s centers rather than rue the ones you don’t. Wiliams isn’t available, Clingan isn’t ready, and Ayton isn’t consistent, but all of them are still good in their own way. For now, that’s enough.

Thanks for the question! You can always send yours to blazersub@gmail.com and we’ll try to answer as many as possible!