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Blazers: 5 goals for Caleb Swanigan to achieve in 2018-2019

By Nate Mann

LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 10: Caleb Swanigan #50 of the Portland Trail Blazers looks on during the game against the San Antonio Spurs during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 10, 2018 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 10: Caleb Swanigan #50 of the Portland Trail Blazers looks on during the game against the San Antonio Spurs during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 10, 2018 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 10: Caleb Swanigan #50 of the Portland Trail Blazers looks on during the game against the San Antonio Spurs during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 10, 2018 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 10: Caleb Swanigan #50 of the Portland Trail Blazers looks on during the game against the San Antonio Spurs during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 10, 2018 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Caleb Swanigan hasn’t been able to recover the level of play that earned him All-NBA First Team honors at the 2017 Summer League. What goals can he set to bring back that physicality and confidence?

Caleb Swanigan kicked off his NBA career on an unexpectedly high note. At the 2017 Las Vegas Summer League, he earned All-NBA First Team honors after averaging 16.2 points and 10.6 rebounds in 30.7 minutes per game. The No. 26 pick led a ragtag group of NBA hopefuls to the Summer League championship, where they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Summer League magic didn’t translate to preseason, and especially not to his few regular season games. Swanigan went from 16.2 points and 10.6 rebounds in 30.7 minutes per game to 7.2 points and 5.2 rebounds in 18.2 minutes during the preseason. At the end of his rookie season, he averaged a meager 2.3 points and 2.0 rebounds in 7.0 minutes per game.

His initial Summer League success didn’t even translate to his second Las Vegas appearance. At the 2018 tournament, Swanigan posted 8.4 points and 10.7 rebounds in 26.3 minutes per game. The Blazers won the championship, but the second-year forward played a far smaller role on the team.

To recover the confidence from his 2017 Summer League showing, Swanigan needs to set a few goals and work with Portland’s staff to achieve them.

If I were watching film with the big man (I watched film, just not with him), these would be the five goals to recover his domination of the paint like his college days at Purdue.