Blazers rookie Caleb Swanigan’s incredible journey will continue in Portland

For nearly every single player that gets selected during the NBA Draft, it is a dream come true. Making the NBA is a distant goal so many basketball players have and for the players selected on draft night, the countless hours of hard work finally has come to fruition. Every single draftee however, has their own unique path of making the NBA and for Trail Blazers rookie big man Caleb Swanigan, his journey has arguably been the most arduous among his fellow rookies.

Drafted No. 26 overall by the Portland Trail Blazers, Swanigan is an athletic 6-foot-9 big man that has a knack for rebounding and with his solid court vision, is an excellent passer. In his second and final season at Purdue, Swanigan earned All-American honors and was the Big Ten Player of the Year with a double-double average of 18.5 points and 12.5 rebounds. Swanigan’s averages made him become the first college player to average at least 18.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists since former San Antonio Spurs legend Tim Duncan accomplished the feat at Wake Forest during the 1996-1997 NCAA season.

But while the Blazers drafted Swanigan primarily for his skills on the court, it was also his ability to overcome serious adversity and hardship throughout his life that played a role in Portland’s selection.

Swanigan grew up in low-income housing and even homeless shelters for brief stretches as his mother struggled to raise him and his five siblings. Making matters worse, his father was largely out of the picture due to drug addiction problems. And on top of all of that, Swanigan struggled with obesity issues, weighing over 350 pounds when he was in the eighth grade.

But Swanigan took control of his life thanks to the guidance of former Purdue football star turned sports agent Roosevelt Barnes, who actually adopted the now Trail Blazers big man and moved him to Fort Wayne, Indiana. It was there in Fort Wayne with Barnes, Swanigan shed his debilitating weight and transformed his body so that he could be one of the top players in the country and earn a scholarship to Purdue.

This transformation, enduring through adversity and Swanigan’s continual improvement at Purdue all played a huge role in Portland drafting him.

“What he’s overcome off the court [and] on the court, the dedication and the passion he has to be the kind of person that he is right now is pretty incredible,” Blazers GM Neil Olshey said about Swanigan on the night of the Draft at the team’s practice facility. “ It’s a great story. But he’s bought into it now. It wasn’t a means to an end. He turned his life around and what we really evaluated with him more than anything is that he’s just a big time basketball player.”

Olshey also commented on how the type of toughness Swanigan plays is another reason the Blazers used their final first round pick on him. Olshey sees the undersized Swanigan perfectly fitting in on the Blazers as the league continues to trend towards non-positional basketball, with non-traditional centers like Draymond Green making an impact.

“Just put him on the court and let him play,” Olshey said.

Swanigan also believes that while he may not be tall like traditional centers, his versatility will immensely help the Blazers.

“Not to be too simple, but I see myself playing basketball,” Swanigan said at his introductory press conference on Monday. “What I mean by that is you get on the court by passing, rebounding, shooting and defending. You do those things and help your team win, you find yourself on the court.”

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The Blazers do have a bit of a glut in the frontcourt with Jusuf Nurkic, Al Farouq Aminu, Meyers Leonard, Noah Vonleh, lottery selection Zach Collins and perhaps even Maurice Harkless, so as of now, it is hard to say what type of role Swanigan will have as a rookie. But given his incredible journey to get to Portland, it is hard to count out Swanigan, whose non-stop motor will only keep going now that he is with the Blazers.

“Always keep working,” Swanigan said. “Always keep my head down and keep focused.”