The Sacramento Kings have plenty of depth in the frontcourt.
Acquired midseason last year, Caleb Swanigan could use the NBA India Games as an opportunity to make an impression on the team's coaches and management in an attempt to solidify a spot in the rotation.
Background
Caleb Swanigan was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on April 18, 1997.
High school & College experience
He attended high school at Homestead in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Heading towards college, Swanigan received recognitions like Indiana Mr. Basketball (2015) and McDonald's All-American (2015). During his time in high school, he also represented the United States in international events.
MORE: Kings' squad for the NBA India Games
He was part of two gold medal-winning squads during his time in high school - the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championships in Dubai and the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championships in Greece.
For college, Swanigan committed and decommitted to Michigan State before deciding to stay in-state and going to Purdue University.
He started every game for the Purdue Boilermakers in his two years at the University. However, it was his second year when the spotlight fell on him with multiple awards.
He was handed the Lute Olsen Award (2017), an award given each year to the best non-freshman basketball player in the NCAA Division I. He was also named Big Ten Player of the Year (2017) and handed the Pete Newell Award, a recognition given to the best low-post player each year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
After playing 69 games at Purdue, he finished with averages of 14.4 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists.
NBA career
Swanigan was drafted 26th overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2017 NBA Draft.
After 1.5 seasons with the franchise where he played for the team and their assignments in the G-League, he was traded to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Skal Labissière.
MORE: History of the Sacramento Kings
During his two seasons in the league, he has played a total of 48 games finishing with averages of 2.2 points and 2.5 rebounds in 7.6 minutes per game.
Skill set
Standing tall at 6-9 and weighing nearly 250 pounds, Swanigan has relied on the size mismatch to make a name for himself at Purdue.
In the NBA, the pace of play is a lot quicker. So although he can provide any team with rotation minutes and be effective offensively, he's still got to prove himself on the other side of the ball.
For more updates and stories on the NBA India Games 2019, you can follow NBA.com's page dedicated to the historic event.
