Portland Trail Blazers: Caleb Swanigan is the hero Rip City needs

Portland Trail Blazers rookie Caleb Swanigan proved to be a draft night steal after an impressive display in the 2017 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

Over a week removed from watching the Portland Trail Blazers fall just a game short of winning the Las Vegas Summer League title, I still find myself amazed with the fact that Rip City was able to steal Caleb Swanigan with the 26th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

In fact, I was supposed to have this piece up almost a week ago, but I’ve just found myself at a loss for words after watching Swanigan in Summer League.

For starters, Swanigan averaged 16.1 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.4 steals in 30.9 minutes per game, playing a total of eight games while shooting 43.8 percent from the field. That’s pretty insane for a kid that people said was a bit undersized at his position and not athletic enough.

I’ll be the first to admit that Swanigan wasn’t even on my radar going into the draft this summer. I’d like to cover that up by mentioning that my fellow Blazers beat writer on HoopsHabit, Raymond Simms, also didn’t have Swanigan listed on his top five options for the 26th pick.

But trust me when I say that as soon as I watched Swanigan play, I just knew for a fact that he’d be the perfect fit in Portland. As soon as he was done in the preliminary round, I just knew that Swanigan would tear up his competition in the Summer League tournament.

As soon as Summer League ended, I went as far as saying that Caleb Swanigan would likely end up being more productive this season than the guy the Blazers drafted 16 spots before him.

How Swanigan fits post-Crabbe trade

The Blazers just traded Allen Crabbe, and they’re likely to make another deal within the next couple weeks. Some basketball pundits speculate that the Blazers could look to absorb Ryan Anderson in a three-team trade, adding a stretch-4 to the roster.

While Swanigan did end up shooting an abysmal 27.3 percent from behind the arc this summer, I’d confidently argue that Swanigan is more than capable of filling any role the Blazers could give to Ryan Anderson.

Anderson is great when he’s surrounded by a solid defensive scheme. He’s never been known as a defender, and considering the fact that the Blazers aren’t considered to be anywhere near a great defensive team, it’s unclear why the Blazers would look to add another piece strictly for his ability to stretch the floor — an area in which the Blazers ranked sixth in the league.

That being said, Swanigan isn’t exactly known for his defense, but he’s a scrappy player that’s eager to prove he’s more than ready to be in the NBA.

I mean, this is a guy who has continued to play hard and live out the best version of himself after being homeless and overweight. He will do WHATEVER it takes to make the most out of this opportunity.

Quite frankly, he proved that by leaving his soul out on the floor in Summer League — an event that really has no relative importance to a player’s success during the actual season. If anyone can be trusted to take the right path to the top, it’s Biggie.

Next: 2017 NBA free agency tracker - Grades for every deal so far

The Blazers needed frontcourt depth. They needed more toughness. More grittiness. More rebounding. They got all that — and more — in Caleb Swanigan.