Wizards Land 2nd Pick in 2024 NBA Draft, Fans See Donovan Clingan as Ideal Fit

The Washington Wizards have landed the second overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft after the lottery results were revealed on Sunday afternoon in Chicago.

This is an interesting draft year, as there isn't any one dominant prospect teams covet a la Victor Wembanyama last season or Zion Williamson in 2019.

There's also a host of international players and G-League stars who will be populating the first round, many of whom will find themselves chosen in the lottery.

A few players who built their resumes in college will be coveted, though, and one of them is UConn big man and two-time national champion Donovan Clingan.

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman listed the 7'2", 280-pound Clingan 11th on his latest NBA draft big board, writing in part:

"Donovan Clingan feels like one of the draft's easiest bets to be a positive NBA contributor and valued starter at his position. A 280-pound center who doesn't shoot, handle or operate outside the paint may just need the right roster construction around him. Regardless, for two seasons he showed he could use his enormous frame, feet, length and reactions to block shots, contest in pick-and-roll coverage, own the glass and pick up easy baskets."

In his last pre-lottery mock draft, Wasserman had Clingan going fifth overall to the Charlotte Hornets.

Clingan's dominant sophomore season at UConn undoubtedly turned heads. He averaged 13.0 points on 63.9 percent shooting, 7.4 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in 22.6 minutes per game.

Clingan notably helped UConn win all 12 of their NCAA tournament games over the past two seasons by double digits. During this year's March Madness run, he posted 15.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per outing.

At 15-67, the Wizards need a lot of help everywhere, but that's especially the case down low after the team dealt starting center Daniel Gafford to the Dallas Mavericks before the trade deadline.

Long-term, the Wizards have Jordan Poole and Deni Avidja on the wing with Kyle Kuzma operating in a hybrid role on the perimeter. They don't have any long-term options at center or point guard right now, though, and Clingan could help fill one of the spots.

For now, Wizards fans seem intrigued about the prospect of Clingan landing in D.C.

We'll see where Washington lands soon enough with the draft beginning Wednesday, June 26 in Brooklyn. We'll also get a better sense of where the prospects shake out after the NBA Scouting Combine this week.