Portland Trail Blazers: 3 possible effects of Al-Farouq Aminu injury

1. This could open the door for Caleb Swanigan

Noah Vonleh just appeared in his first game this season for the Portland Trail Blazers, finally recovering from the right shoulder strain that’s kept him sidelined since the start of training camp.

While he was originally expected to pick up where he left off as the starting power forward, it’s highly unlikely he’ll take that spot back from a much-improved Al-Farouq Aminu any time soon, and Blazers head coach Terry Stotts will probably opt to take things slow with Vonleh rather than rush the 22-year-old back into the fold.

Plus, considering the fact that floor spacing is now more important than ever, it makes sense to have a big man capable of stepping out beyond the arc to play beside Jusuf Nurkic. That’s why Caleb Swanigan is likely to get the start ahead of both Vonleh and Ed Davis in this particular case.

After five appearances this season, Swanigan is averaging 3.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 10.9 minutes per game. He may not have shot the ball particularly well to start his NBA career, but he’s shown capable of knocking down shots from all over the floor.

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The rookie proved himself to be a double-double machine during NBA Summer League play in Las Vegas. Although the regular season could end up being an entirely different monster, the Blazers will only be facing the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday — a matchup that’s as close to a Summer League game as any.