GET TO KNOW 2017 NBA DRAFT PROSPECTS — Caleb Swanigan
Age: 20
Position: PF
College: Purdue, Sophomore
Measurables
Height w/o Shoes: 6’7.5”
Height w/ Shoes: 6’8.5”
Weight: 246 lbs
Wingspan: 7’3”
Standing Reach: 9’0”
Max Vertical: N/A
Via DraftExpress
College Statistics (Sophomore year)
MPG: 32.5
PPG: 18.5
RPG: 12.5
BLKPG: 0.8
APG: 3.0
FT%: 78.1%
2-PT FG%: 54.8%
3-PT FG%: 44.7%
Via Draft Express
Best case Comparison: Brandon Bass, Jason Maxiell, Jared Sullinger
2017 Big Board Ranking
Kevin O’Connor: 31
Chad Ford: 32
Draft Express: 34
Sports Illustrated: 30
CBS Sports: 22
3 Things to Know
1. Swanigan has the capacity to use his wide frame on the inside or the outside due to an excellent shooting touch, which he demonstrated with a 45% three-point percentage.
2. His lack of explosiveness costs him defensively, forcing him to be exceptional on rotations in order to be a serviceable defender.
3. His NBA success may depend on his ability to shoot the three in the NBA as a stretch four.
Strengths
- Establishes deep position
- Aggressive finisher
- Strong finisher w/ both hands
- Good feel on the court, both near the rim and further away.
- Great rebounder, attacks ball with strong hands
- Strong box out with a nose for the ball
- Very good shooter, both in pick and pop and spot up situations.
- Improved conditioning, allowing more consistent productivity.
- Versatile scorer. Uses frame to his advantage.
- Excellent passer and post facilitator.
Weaknesses
- Not an explosive athlete.
- Often is stripped when attacking the rim due to loading ball before dunking.
- Lateral speed makes him liable to being beat off of the dribble especially in pick and roll
- Does not slide feet well.
- Clunky ball handler when attacking from outside
- Always spins back right
- Struggles shooting off of the dribble.
Summary
Caleb Swanigan is a very powerful player with exceptional touch and shooting ability that has been limited by his lack of elite athleticism. Swanigan was a highly touted prospect after battling through weight issues as a teenager, weighing as much as 360 pounds due to poor financial and living situations, became a first-team All-American as a sophomore. Swanigan initially committed to Michigan State but elected to play for Matt Painter and Purdue in order to stay closer to his home in Indianapolis and allowing him to maintain his strict diet more easily by living in apartments rather than having access to buffets like he would at Michigan State. Swanigan progressed as a player as he got in better shape, weighing in at 246 pounds at the NBA combine, maintaining his strong frame while becoming lighter on his feet. This allowed him to excel from the perimeter and in the post, bullying smaller players down low and shooting extraordinarily well from the perimeter. He brings his unique ability to dominate inside and out to the NBA. His success may hinge upon how well he shoots the NBA three playing the stretch four or five positions on offense and using his big body to rebound effectively. However, Swanigan may struggle defensively in the NBA more than he did at Purdue because of the amount of ball screen action and the consistent athleticism of the guards and bigs he will have to manage in ball screen defenses. Overall, Swanigan brings excellent feel and rebounding to the table, but due to his athletic limitation, mainly defensively, he may slip in the draft to a late first round, early second round selection, providing excellent value to whatever team selects him.
Draft reports compiled by Garrett Furubayashi and Leif Thulin
