The evaluation of Donovan Clingan's Blazers debut raised more questions than answers

With Robert Williams III still out with a hamstring strain, Donovan Clingan was expected to play a larger role in the regular season opener, especially given the Portland Trail Blazers' size advantage over the more talented but smaller Golden State Warriors. However, Clingan surprisingly only played 13 minutes in the Blazers' 139-104 loss to the Warriors.

The Blazers' No. 7 overall pick finished with just two points, two rebounds, one steal, one block and one turnover in what seemed like a welcoming matchup for him. It's understandable that Clingan hasn't seen significant minutes. He played just 22.5 minutes per game during his second season at UConn, and he needs to improve his conditioning to play effective, long stretches at the NBA level.

Still, head coach Chauncey Billups should have played Clingan more. He only had seven minutes in the first half when they trailed 62-50. They also lost the rebound battle 35 to 26 at halftime.

On paper, the Blazers were significantly inferior in terms of talent. The only thing that worked in their favor was their roster size as the largest team in the NBA this season. It's a disservice to the one advantage they had that might allow them to pull off the upset if they don't play their 7-foot-1, 220-pound center for at least 20 minutes.

Billups could have even experimented with a “Twin Towers” ​​lineup, with Ayton and either Clingan or Duop Reath (who only saw three poor minutes of play) on the court together. Although this would have compromised their floor spacing on offense and left them vulnerable to giving up more open three-point attacks on defense, the Warriors still shot 41.7 percent from distance and won the game by 35 percent – so it's not like they have much to lose by experimenting with unique lineups.

Clingan needs to get better at moving up to the shooters when subbing in pick-and-rolls. There were several instances where guards like Buddy Hield and De'Anthony Melton hit threes because he didn't block the shot close enough.

But the Warriors immediately felt Clingan's presence on defense once he was inside. They seemed less inclined to attempt shots in the paint, and the Blazers' team strength at their size compared to the Warriors was much more apparent than it was compared to Ayton.

On offense, Clingan was only effective when a guard lined him up for a wide offensive attack in the paint. That was to be expected, as much of what made him a desirable draft prospect was based on what Clingan offered beyond his scoring ability and his impact on winning with his rebounding, rim protection, passing and overall basketball IQ .

Ayton was expected to take advantage of the Warriors' lack of size in terms of scoring, but he finished the game with just ten points on 5-12 shooting from the field.

Clingan's start to the season was extremely disappointing as he didn't showcase his two-way presence as much as expected. There were promising signs, particularly on defense, but it's difficult to gain much momentum as a player when you only have 13 minutes under your belt.

That grade has as much to do with Billups being unable to play against a rookie who was a top-ten pick in a resounding loss for a rebuilding team as it does with Clingan.

Grade: D