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Caleb Swanigan – 6’9” Power Forward/Center, Purdue University, 20 Years Old
Caleb Swanigan is a hybrid power forward/center from Purdue University who will likely be taken at the end of the first round. In his sophomore season he averaged 18.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game. He shot 54.8% from two-point range, and 44.7% from three-point range (per DraftExpress). To go along with that, Swanigan had 0.8 blocks per contest and a player efficiency rating of 26.7. In addition, he had a 30.5 player efficiency rating per 40 minutes. Swanigan took a huge leap forward in his second NCAA season, taking home the Big Ten Conference Player of the Year Award.
Strengths
Swanigan is just 20 years old; he is going to get a whole lot better. You can tell he really put the work in over last offseason. The big fella improved drastically in every statistical category from his freshman year. Swanigan was surgical in the post this year, as he was often a mismatch for his opponents. He looked much more comfortable with both hands, and his post moves will only get better. That also helped him get to the free throw line at a high clip. He was able to fill it up from the stripe much better too, as he shot 78.1% and made the most free throws in the Big Ten. To go along with his post game, Swanigan really was a tough cover because of him shooting so well from three. Since he put those two offensive skill sets together, Swanigan was a mismatch often. His improvement was also seen on the defensive end, though. His improved quickness and lateral movement worked wonders for him as he lost weight. When you couple that with his 7’3.5″ wingspan, he could become a solid two-way starter sooner than people think.
Weaknesses
It’s clear that this big man needs to keep improving his agility and speed. On the defensive end, he can be a step slow on switch-outs and that makes it difficult to recover to his man. Along with that, Swanigan was indecisive at times when defending screen-and-rolls. He would occasionally have in-between coverage because he couldn’t contain drives from guards. That would leave open shots in the mid-range area. With the way NBA guards are, he’ll get exposed that way giving up floater after floater. In addition, you would like to see him block more shots on the weak side. On the offensive end, Swanigan can be sped up at times and he needs to cut down on the turnovers. He had 3.4 turnovers per game this year, which was more than his assist average. It will take some time for him to recognize when he is being blitzed consistently, although he has gotten much better at passing out of double teams and seeing cutters. This is often a skill young bigs struggle with anyhow.
NBA Potential
No matter where he lands, Swanigan needs plenty of time to fully develop. There’s not much disputing that, especially because he is not the most athletic big in the world. That said, the guy seems like one of the hardest workers in this draft class. He’s going to give his team max effort, and he’s going to be a great teammate as soon as he walks in the door it seems. There’s also a lot of positives he’ll be able to rely on to be productive early on. In my opinion, he should start off as a rotational power forward/small-ball center who can keep opposing rim protectors honest with his three-point shot and draw fouls inside. I think he’s got a ton of potential in this league as a starter, though. If Swanigan improves his playmaking and can at least switch out some of the time defensively against smaller guards, he could eventually make an NBA All-Star squad. He would be best suited going to an organization that knows how to develop their young bigs. I think a fair amount of his potential has to do with the initial expectations.
NBA Player Comparison
I thought Brian Pedersen of Bleacher Report hit the nail on the head with his comparison. He sees Swanigan having a similar game to Zach Randolph, a long-time grinder for the Memphis Grizzlies. This Purdue product is a guy who is very comfortable on the low block with his back to the basket and also facing up in the paint to get to the free throw line, much like Randolph. The threat of the three might eventually be more lethal for Swanigan, though as he has plenty of time to keep getting better at that aspect offensively. I like this comparison maybe even more in terms of rebounding production. Swanigan led the Big Ten in total rebounds, total rebound percentage, and defensive rebounding in both of his seasons at Purdue (per Sports Reference). That kind of skill set should allow him to dominate the glass at the NBA level during his minutes. That’s just like the aforementioned Randolph, who has been a double-double machine and multiple All-Star in his rock solid career.
Look for Caleb Swanigan to land at the end of the first round on draft night, and be sure to stay updated with our complete coverage of the 2017 NBA Draft!
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