As he always does when he comes home to Salt Lake City, Caleb Swanigan gets a chance to visit with family and see old friends. It’s a staple for him, and a stop that he looks forward to making any chance he can.
But, just visiting isn’t enough. He wants his family to get the chance to see him dirty his uniform.
“I’ll know I’m really home when I finally get the chance to play,” Swanigan said.
For the first time in his basketball life, Swanigan is having to wait his turn. The rookie power forward is outside of Portland coach Terry Stotts’ rotation and in a position where he has to learn without playing.
He last played in a game Feb. 9, when he was on the floor against the Sacramento Kings for two minutes without scoring. It’s difficult for the first-round pick. He doesn’t know when or where his next minutes are going to come from. And those minutes certainly don’t figure to be impact minutes.
So, for the kid from Salt Lake City, he waits. He’s played some minutes in the G League. He goes through his pregame routine, and works up a sweat in hopes of hearing his name called. But he’s played in just 17 games this season, averaging 2.4 points and 2.2 rebounds.
“It’s the most difficult thing that I’ve had to do, at least basketball-wise,” Swanigan said. “But I know that I’m on a very good team, and we have a lot of talent and a lot of depth. So, mostly, I’m just staying positive and doing what I can.”
Swanigan says he’s improved his body since training camp, a product of consistently hitting the weights. He also tries to make his G League experience translate to the NBA level, although he says he can’t really tell without consistent minutes.
Stotts says he likes what Swangian provides, and that his shooting and offensive prowess can help down the line.
“The thing about Caleb is he can do a little bit of everything,” Stotts said. “He rebounds really well, he’s a good passer. He’s a good mid-range shooter and he’s working to extend his range. Right now, there’s not a lot of opportunity for him. So the biggest thing for him is to keep working and when his opportunity comes, he will be ready for it.”
Formal pursuit
The Jazz have officially submitted a bid to host the 2022 or 2023 All-Star Games.
“On behalf of the state of Utah, we are committed to the hard work of bringing the NBA All-Star Game to Salt Lake City,” Utah Governor Gary Herbert said in a statement.
If granted, it would be the second time SLC has hosted the All-Star Game. The city hosted the game in 1993.
Still not whole
While Ricky Rubio made his return from injury, backup point guard Raul Neto sprained an ankle in shootaround, and didn’t play on Friday night against Portland.
