On this episode of the Heat Check, it's time for the Rookie Report. Merry Christmases, folks, your weekly check in on the rookies and how they're doing. We got a week until Christmas, so let's talk about cling Klong, Cling Kong, the big man himself, Donovan Clinging Anthony my man, drop that motherfucking pizza should be young, all right? He dropped the Rookie Report for you in the last minute, shopping just a five to six minute update on somebody that
you need to know about. Were not abandoning you on Christmas week, but we do have lots of things to do, so sorry that there wasn't a full episode so far this week. I heard, though, my Portland Trailblazers drafted Donovan Klingon. I was pretty damn happy. Not because I'm a huge Dan Hurley stand, not because I'm riding the coattails of the Yukon dynasty. No, I love Donovan Klingon. In college, he dominated college ball. When he went up against Zach Edie, it was still good, but there were a lot of
questions about how he would fare in the league. Guess what, there's no questions now. He averaged seven and seven in the first seventeen games of the season, but more importantly, two point two blocks per game in just seventeen minutes domination in the paint. In his seventeenth game, Donovan Klingon pulled down nineteen rebounds in a three point win over the Houston Rockets. At that point were the top of the West. The Blazer had won four of six at
that point and things looked promising. And then Donovan klin And sprained his knee, which is why Portland should never draft a big man. We need one, but it's tough. He missed the next seven games and he slowly started to get back into the lineup, and he's really only getting about half the playing time that he was getting before he got hurt. Feels like he's still in recovery. He's averaged less than a block a game since he's returned,
so you know, he's not really quite healthy yet. I'm telling you, seven foot centers in Portland with knee injuries or leg injuries or foot injuries give me serious, serious PTSD. But I do not think that he has a history of knee issues. And because I've been so hurt before. From Bill Walton to Greg gotin to Sam Bouie, I'm going to be hopeful. Even still, Klingon is not gonna win Rookie of the Year. I do feel though he's
gonna be a key piece on a rebuilding team. I don't look for him to be more than a ten point a game guy, but he will grab ten to fifteen rebounds. He'll protect the room like he's a marine. His season average of eight and ten with three blocks when he starts. That's a building block for a damn good team. Coach Chauncey Billups had some things to say about Donovan Klingon is what he said. He's young, he has no experience. Awesome, but he does two things right
off the top. He rebounds and for his size, he does a good job of rebounding outside his area, not just the ones that come to him. And then his riom protection. I think right now the speed of some of these guys surprises him. Where he'd easily block those shots in college, they're getting over him. So the speed of the game he has to catch up. But those two things he'll be pretty elite at and he'll only
get better. Who I like that. I like that very fair assessment from Chauncey billups Klingon's emergence makes both DeAndre Ayton and Time Lord I I a little bit unclear. His value increases because he makes good chips, good trade chips, more able to be let go of, not quite expendable, but almost expendable. The Blazers in two years will have Scoot Henderson at the point hopefully Shade and Sharp at
the two, Danny Abdya at the three. By the way, he's only twenty three years old, Timani Kamara aka too many buckets at the four, and Cling Kong at the five. That could be could be a squad if they can stay healthy, that is, and since it's Portland, you never really quite tell. That's all the time that we have the Rookie Report on the Heat. Check tune in every week as we break down what's happening in the freshman class.
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