UConn basketball's Donovan Clingan reveals Nikola Jokic, other NBA inspirations ahead of 2024 Draft

The NBA Draft is coming up soon as it will take place on June 26th and 27th. This is a big time for draft prospects as they just wrapped up the combine, and they are going to find out where they are headed soon. One player that should hear his name called pretty early in the NBA Draft is UConn basketball star Donovan Clingan. Clingan has been the big man for the Huskies for the past two seasons, and he is now ready to go to the league.

Donovan Clingan and the UConn basketball team have obviously had a lot of success the past two years as they have won the last two national championships, and Clingan is now ready to move on to the NBA. He is expected to be an early first round pick, and that came as a bit of a surprise to people because of his play-style.

Clingan is a 7″2′ big, but his play-style is different than Zach Edey's for example. Edey was the best player in college basketball last year, and these two played the same position. However, Clingan is going to be drafted way before Edey. Clingan does have a lot of similarities in his play-style to traditional big men, but his athleticism and ability to move up and the down the court with speed does set him apart a bit.

Still, when Clingan was asked about the players in the NBA that he looks up to, he listed three guys that are traditional bigs excelling in the league.

“I enjoy watching Rudy Gobert, Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, and all those traditional big men that are having an impact on the game and helping their team win,” Clingan said, according to an article from Hoops Hype. 

Those guys have some abilities in their game that help them stand out among other bigs, and Clingan is hoping that he will be able to find that aspect of his game that helps him flourish in the NBA as well.

Donovan Clingan was a beast in college

Donovan Clingan had a great career with the UConn basketball team. Obviously, the Huskies won two national titles when Clingan was there, and he was a big reason why they were able to win those championships.

Clingan didn't play as much during his freshman season, but he was still a big contributor for the Huskies. He played in 39 games and averaged a little over 13 minutes per game. He ended up averaging 6.9 PPG, 1.8 BPG and 5.6 RPG.

During his sophomore season, Clingan started to play more, and he ended up being a dominant force for UConn. He averaged over 22 minutes per game last season, and he finished the year averaging 13 PPG, 2.5 BPG and 7.4 RPG. Standing at over seven feet tall, Clingan was extremely difficult for other teams to deal with.

Clingan's UConn basketball career is now over, and he is taking the next step in his career. He is in the conversation to be the top pick in the NBA Draft, but regardless, he isn't going to have to wait very long to hear his name called.