Caleb Swanigan has had a great first few games of NBA Summer League play. Trail Blazers TV analyst Lamar Hurd joined Chad and Travis on Rip City Drive to discuss Swanigan’s play and his future for the Blazers.
Hurd insists Swanigan’s play will translate well to the next level.
“He’s not making any lucky three-point shots. He’s not getting any generous rolls around the basket. It’s the kind of stuff he can do every single night he plays. So, when you look at that and the rebounding specifically, the rebounding translates.”
Hurd also says Swanigan looks a little more NBA-ready than he had expected.
“You start kind of thinking, ‘Man is this dude going to steal some minutes that maybe we didn’t anticipate he was going to steal coming into the year?’ Then as you watch him play, you start saying, ‘Well, compared to some of the guys on the roster, he kind of does this just as well. He might do this just a little bit better.’ I can’t wait to see these guys go at it.”
Hurd also talked about the struggles of Zach Collins in Summer League and how he thinks Collins gets on the floor next season.
“The more he can do to negate shots in the paint, the more he can do switching out on pick and rolls, that’s going to get him the minutes.”
Take a listen to the great interview and be sure to stay locked onto Rip City Radio for all your updates on the NBA and Blazers Summer League play.