Portland Trail Blazers: 5 reasons Caleb Swanigan was a good pick
Mar 18, 2017; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Purdue Boilermakers forward Caleb Swanigan (50) dunks the ball during the second half of the game against the Iowa State Cyclones in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
The Portland Trail Blazers selected Purdue's Caleb Swanigan with the No. 26 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. What makes this such a good move?
The Portland Trail Blazers entered the 2017 NBA Draft with three picks: No. 15, No. 20 and No. 26. They came out of the draft with two selections: Gonzaga's Zach Collins at No. 10 and Purdue's Caleb Swanigan at No. 26.
Swanigan is a 6'9″, 245-pound big from Fort Wayne, Indiana. He spent two seasons as a Purdue Boilermaker and came into his own in 2016-17. Swanigan averaged 18.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. His points per game were second-best in the Big Ten Conference. His rebounds per game were second-best in Division I basketball.
Swanigan finished the season with 28 double-doubles, a Big Ten record. The old record was 26, which was set on multiple occasions. Brad Sellers of Ohio State last did it in 1985-86. Jerry Lucas had 26 double-doubles in each of the three years he played at Ohio State from 1959 to 1962.
Swanigan led Purdue in win shares (6.4) in 2016-17 and helped the Boilermakers win the Big Ten regular season title. He also helped them reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010.
For his output, Swanigan earned the Big Ten Player of the Year award and was a consensus First Team All-American. He also won the Pete Newell Award, which goes to college basketball's best big man.
Now, after a strong season – a small step on what has been a long, inspiring journey – he is now a Trail Blazer. Here are five reasons why Portland made the right decision.
Feb 4, 2017; College Park, MD, USA; Purdue Boilermakers forward Caleb Swanigan (50) defended by Maryland Terrapins center Damonte Dodd (35) at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
5. His post game diversifies Portland's offense
For the past two seasons, Portland's offense has been predicated on the pick-and-roll and outside shooting. While that has worked fine for the Blazers, it can be limiting if that's basically all a team can do. Eventually, teams figure out how to hedge the screens or catch the roll man. It's difficult to create any additional offense once you're out of moves.
Jusuf Nurkic's arrival helped switched things up a bit. He was able to score on the blocks and pass out of the post. According to NBA.com, Nurkic posted up on 22.4 percent of his possessions and scored 0.91 points per possession. Swanigan strengthens Portland's post game and helps to alleviate the pressure put on Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum to create shots for themselves.
According to Synergy Sports, Swanigan posted up on 46 percent of his possessions in 2016-17. He scored 1.02 points per possession, putting him in the 90th percentile. His 7.8 points per game in post-up situations was second-best in the Big Ten and ninth-best nationally.
Over time, his post prowess will draw attention from defenders. When that happens, he'll be able to find the open scorers. He averaged 3.7 assists per 40 minutes and 5.3 assists per 100 possessions in 2016-17.
The Blazers used the post game the second-fewest times in the NBA. The play only made up 4.3 percent of their possessions in 2016-17. The return of Nurkic and addition of Swanigan will help the Blazers open up a new aspect of their offense.
Mar 23, 2017; Kansas City, MO, USA; Purdue Boilermakers forward Caleb Swanigan (50) shoots during the second half against the Kansas Jayhawks in the semifinals of the midwest Regional of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Sprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
4. His perimeter shooting makes him a nightmare for opponents to defend
Swanigan is a big-bodied brusier in the paint, but what makes him such a good pick is his ability to stretch the floor. He shot 44.7 percent from three on 2.4 attempts per game in 2016-17. This was a marked improvement from the 29.2 percent he shot his freshman year. He did not qualify for any national leaderboards; his 85 attempts fell under the threshold to do so. However, Swanigan's three-point percentage would have been seventh in the NCAA.
This aspect of his game puts him right in line with the other stretch bigs on the Blazers' roster. What sets him apart from them, however, is his efficiency from outside and the volume of his attempts. Comparing his attempts per game and percentage coming out of school to the others, he has a leg up on his shooting potential.
Noah Vonleh comes the closest, shooting 48.5 percent from three in his lone year at Indiana in 2013-14. But it was only on 1.1 attempts per game. Al-Farouq Aminu shot 27.3 percent from outside on 2.1 attempts per game in 2009-10, his sophomore season at Wake Forest.
Meyers Leonard didn't even begin shooting threes consistently until his third year in the NBA. But in 2011-12, his last year at Illinois, he went 1-for-11 from beyond the arc.
Swanigan's ability to shoot so well from outside at a consistent clip coming into the league means less time is needed to develop his shot. More time can be allocated to focusing on other aspects of his game.
Mar 18, 2017; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Purdue Boilermakers forward Caleb Swanigan (50) drives to the basket around defender Iowa State Cyclones guard Deonte Burton (30) during the second half of the game in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
3. He gives the Blazers another ferocious rebounder
Another big aspect that Swanigan brings to the NBA is his rebounding. As mentioned in the first slide, his 12.5 rebounds per game was the second-best mark in the NCAA in 2016-17. That average expands to 15.3 boards per 40 minutes and 21.9 per 100 possessions. The average is also the 36th-best rebounding year in the NCAA since 1992-93.
It should be noted he gets his boards without a crazy vertical. His 29-inch maximum vertical he logged at the 2016 NBA Draft Combine was fourth-worst among all prospects. He didn't log one at the 2017 combine, but it can be assumed it's the same or only slightly better.
Swanigan told WANE-TV 15 in Fort Wayne that he was glad to go to the Blazers. He feels their game plan is conducive to how he plays.
"They're a big team that pushes the ball well. They get up a lot of shots, but I'm a rebounder. So, to me, a rebound is a pass, so they got some passing guards."
The Blazers sorely need rebounding. They were 18th in the NBA in rebounds per game before the arrival of Jusuf Nurkic. Afterwards, they ranked 10th in the league. Bringing in Swanigan will surely bolster that number.
Sometimes, a player can collect a rebound or two by being in the right place at the right time. But 12.5 rebounds per game in a Division I season is not a fluke. Swanigan made rebounding a lifestyle at Purdue, and will likely keep doing so for Portland.
Chicago Bulls
Feb 28, 2017; West Lafayette, IN, USA; Purdue Boilermakers forward Caleb Swanigan (50) high fives fans after Purdue clinches the Big Ten League Championship after defeating the Indiana Hoosiers at Mackey Arena. Purdue defeats Indiana 86-75. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
2. He is a hard working that is willing to improve his game
Caleb Swanigan is not the perfect prospect. He can't play above the rim, he's a bit undersized and struggles against taller and quicker bigs, and his lack of non-post footwork is troubling. However, he has proven that whenever he needs to improve, he'll put in the work to do it.
It goes back to his well-chronicled struggles as a youth. He was adopted by former NFL linebacker Roosevelt Barnes at age 13, and from there was pushed to improve his body and skills as a basketball player. Swanigan rose to the challenge and became good enough to receive offers from Arizona, Duke, Cal and Michigan State, among others. He ultimately committed to Purdue.
After his freshman season, he declared for the 2016 NBA Draft without an agent. In an interview during his Blazers pre-draft workout, he alluded to the feedback he got last summer, and spoke on how it helped him become the prospect he is today.
"Get my body better, shoot better, just be an all-around better player, rebound the ball more frequently, be a main guy on the team, show I can pass out of the post and do all those things. And I went back to school and did those."
As evidenced by his stat lines between his two seasons at Purdue, he did exactly those things.
It's impressive that he was told what he needed to improve, and then went above and beyond. That ability to accept coaching and work hard to get better will serve him well in the NBA.
Mar 16, 2017; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Purdue Boilermakers forward Caleb Swanigan (50) blocks the shot of Vermont Catamounts guard Trae Bell-Haynes (2) during the second half of the game in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
1. His upside puts the veteran bigs on notice
"Upside" is a word bandied about a lot this time of year, but Caleb Swanigan has plenty of it– so much, that he could move into a key team role fairly soon.
General manager Neil Olshey stated during his post-draft interview that he was looking "12 to 15 years in the future" when the Blazers selected Collins and Swanigan. He could be alluding not just to the players' trajectory, but also their cap situation. Owner Paul Allen isn't bothered by the $133 million tied up in the current roster, but it restricts some of their options.
As the years go by, more cap space will clear up. By then, Swanigan and Collins could potentially be delivering big contract output at rookie contract prices.
Swanigan delivering on his potential could spell trouble for the future of the stretch-bigs already on the roster. Aminu took a step back in production in 2016-17 and is under contract for only two more seasons. Vonleh is slowly improving, but will still be a restricted free agent next summer.
Leonard had the toughest 2016-17 campaign of all, and has a big contract that runs through 2020. If Swanigan and/or Collins laps him in development this season, he would be expendable to whatever team needs help reaching the salary floor.
Swanigan and Collins coming to Portland should create some healthy competition in the frontcourt. Regardless of how the incumbent bigs pan out, things definitely look better with the addition of Caleb Swanigan.
More from Hoops Habit
This article originally appeared on 
