Portland Trail Blazers: 5 goals for Caleb Swanigan's rookie season

Portland Trail Blazers: 5 goals for Caleb Swanigan’s rookie season

Mar 22, 2017; Kansas City, MO, USA; Purdue Boilermakers forward Caleb Swanigan (50) speaks during a press conference during practice the day before the Midwest Regional semifinals of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Sprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /

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Mar 22, 2017; Kansas City, MO, USA; Purdue Boilermakers forward Caleb Swanigan (50) during practice the day before the Midwest Regional semifinals of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Sprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Maintain three-point efficiency

Caleb Swanigan is a big bruiser of a power forward. However, he also showed his ability to stretch the floor. Swanigan shot 44.7 percent from beyond the arc on 85 total attempts in 2016-17. This was a 15.5 percent improvement from 2015-16.

Porting that three-point success over from the college game will be key to making him an offensive weapon in Portland. But it isn’t a simple copy-and-paste job.

For one, the NBA line is further back than what Swanigan is used to. In the NCAA, the arc has a 20’9″ radius while the corners are 4’3″ from the sidelines. In the NBA, the line has a 23’9″ radius and the corners are 3′ from the sidelines. If Swanigan is going to succeed from outside in the NBA, he will need to expand his range.

Additionally, Swanigan will likely have less time to get his shots off. With the heightened athleticism on the court, defenders will be closing out quicker and contesting harder on his attempts. He will have to make sure his shot releases are able to withstand the tougher defense without being blocked or altered.

If Swanigan is able to uphold his three-point prowess in his rookie season, he will be a nightmare for defenses to deal with.

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