Ranking 8 prospects the Houston Rockets could draft by upside

7. Donovan Clingan, C, Connecticut

Like Risacher, Clingan's appeal largely comes as a safe pick. He's almost certain to be a solid, starting-caliber NBA player. Can he be more than that?

We hesitate to answer that question with an outright "no". Look at Rudy Gobert. The Minnesota Timberwolves moved four unprotected first-round picks to trade for him. Gobert would be a worthy selection as a first-overall pick in most drafts. In theory, an elite rim protector can reach that level.

What are the odds of Clingan reaching Gobert's level? We'd suggest that those odds are fundamentally low. We can't project Clingan to be the best player of his type in the entire NBA.

Otherwise, most drop coverage rim protectors are role players. Clingan is likely to be a good NBA player, but the probability of him reaching star status isn't high to our eye.