Donovan Clingan is already earning his spot as the Portland Trail Blazers starting center of the future. In his second season, we're already seeing Clingan's impact on winning at a high level through his elite rebounding and rim protection. He's even drawn comparisons to Rudy Gobert in terms of opponent field-goal percentage at the rim, a testament to Portland's having a true defensive anchor.
However, there's one thing standing in the way of Clingan becoming Gobert on the defensive end: lateral mobility.
Clingan is flat-footed at 7-foot-2, 280 pounds, which makes him a defensive liability out on the perimeter that teams like to exploit.