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Portland Trail Blazers: 5 reasons Caleb Swanigan was a good pick

By Raymond Simms

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
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 /
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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
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.

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