The Portland Trail Blazers formally introduced draft pick Donovan Clingan on Saturday.

It was a refreshing milestone because unlike other press events in recent years, this one was actually just about the thing it was about. There was no long shadow like the one Damian Lillard’s trade demand cast over Scoot Henderson’s arrival a year ago, or the kind of wholesale angst that accompanied the final years of Lillard’s tenure.

Saturday there was just Clingan, still wearing his draft night cap, holding up a No. 23 jersey and saying things like he wants to compete for championships — yes, plural — in Portland. His dad wore a proud grin. Chauncey Billups acted over-the-moon about the prospect of a bona fide rim protector.

Make no mistake, the Blazers still have lots of big-picture issues to sort out this summer, including how many veteran players get traded, but those are more of the natural progression of a team in transition.

A few observations from Clingan’s introduction …

• Billups said that Clingan delivered the best pre-draft interview response he’s heard. Billups was surprised by how well Clingan shot three-pointers in his Blazers workout, so he asked the UConn star why he didn’t showcase more of that in college.

Billups said Clingan responded, “I just wanted to do what coach needed me to do to win.”

“To me,” Billups said, “that’s a winner.”

Clingan stretching his offensive game out to the three-point line would be a real bonus for the Blazers, who need him to help turn around a defense that has ranked 25th, 26th and 23rd in Billups’ three seasons with the team.

• Clingan has the potential to be the Blazers’ best rim protector since … Robin Lopez? Marcus Camby? Bill Walton?!? Maybe we don’t need to go that far, but he’s certainly going to be a difference-maker who will make life easier for everyone else on the floor by being able to clean up their mistakes.

Billups acknowledged interior defense was “a problem” last season. “I think most teams will reconsider attacking our paint,” Billups said.

• On one hand, Clingan solves the Blazers’ problem in the middle.

On the other hand, Deandre Ayton is somewhere likely saying, “I didn’t know we had a problem in the middle.”

Yes, Ayton is the Blazers’ highest-paid player and a focal point of their offense. And it’s hard to listen to the praise of Clingan without interpreting it as at least some kind of referendum on the incumbent.

Most likely, the Blazers will eventually reach a breaking point with Ayton and Clingan, but there is no reason the two can’t coexist for the time being and complement each other’s skillsets.

Billups even suggested they could share the floor in stretches, which … is a thing we can evaluate when and if it happens.

“I’m willing to try things,” Billups said.

And while we have to wait to see how things play out before knowing how Ayton will respond to having his presumptive replacement backing him up, everybody seems to still be rowing in the same direction for now.

General manager Joe Cronin said he spoke to Ayton the morning of the draft and that he was “incredibly excited” about the Clingan pick.

“He loves his teammates,” Cronin said, “he wants to win, he wants to learn from guys, he wants to teach guys.”

As further evidence of the Blazers’ continued investment in Ayton: After welcomg Clingan, Billups was preparing for a trip to Valencia, Spain, to watch Ayton play in Olympic qualifiers with the Bahamas.

• While I do think there is a role for both centers on this team, Clingan’s skillset is so much more valuable in the modern NBA than Ayton’s that it may become clear sooner than later that the Blazers need to clear the runway to give him a bigger role.

Ayton’s contract expires in the summer of 2026. Will Clingan supplant Ayton before them? I have a suspicion the answer is yes.

• The Blazers don’t have much in the way of championship experience, outside of Billups. Clingan immediately changes that.

I’m always fascinated by things like this. Clingan played a vital role on a two-time NCAA champion, but that’s college. What piece of that carries over to the pros?

“In the tournament, you’re playing against the best of the best,” Clingan said. “Every day you have to bring your all. … The matchups I had in the post were something that got me ready.”

Of course, most NBA players aren’t NCAA champions and plenty of NCAA champions don’t work out in the NBA.

But Clingan is accustomed to high-level competition and high-leverage situations. You can pencil the Blazers in to lose a lot of games next year, but it’s possible to build a competitive, winning environment within that kind of rebuild.

With so many moving pieces and so much losing in recent seasons, the Blazers haven’t been able to cultivate that kind of culture and I’m curious to see in what ways Clingan’s arrival will impact that over time.

-- Bill Oram