The Portland Trail Blazers are projected to be among the bottom feeders in the league this upcoming season. The past handful of seasons have been rough for the Trail Blazers, but at least they have some young and hungry players set to make their mark in the league.

For the second season in a row, they landed with top 10 picks, and in this June’s draft, the Trail Blazers selected UConn center Donovan Clingan.

Clingan will soon kick off his rookie season, and as we sit a month before training camp, the NBA 2K ratings are slowly coming out. NBA 2K25 released the player and team ratings for the Trail Blazers, and Clingan has a 73-player rating.

The Trail Blazers have an overall team rating of 81, which puts them ahead of the Utah Jazz, Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, and Brooklyn Nets.

NBA 2K25 will be released on all platforms on Friday, Sept. 6.

The Trail Blazers selected Clingan with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. The Connecticut native is coming off a stellar college career, during which he helped propel UConn to two consecutive NCAA championships in 2023 and 2024.

He entered his freshman season as the backup and finished the season named to the Big East Conference All-Freshman team. In the championship game, Clingan recorded four points with three rebounds, blocks, and two steals in the 2023 national championship game over San Diego State University.

His sophomore season was even better. He was named an AP Honorable Mention All-American and won another championship to cap off his college career. Clingan averaged 13.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 2.5 blocks in 22.5 minutes per game. 

Clingan declared for the 2024 NBA Draft in April and was among the top players to enter the draft. The 20-year-old will be a key piece for the Trail Blazers moving forward; however, it won’t be off to an easy start.

The Trail Blazers are already at a disadvantage, considering where they play geographically. On top of that, they have a tough schedule to kick off the season.

A 73 rating to start off the season isn’t too bad for the young center. Clingan is a transitional-ist 7-foot center and dominates the game with his size, brawn, overall skill, and mobility.

If all pans out, Clingan can be the driving force for the Trail Balzers moving forward as early as next season.

More Trail Blazers: Trail Blazers News: 2 Young Portland Stars Projected As Possible 2028 Olympians