One of the main goals of the Las Vegas Summer League is giving young players a low consequence opportunity to get their first taste of playing something close to NBA-caliber basketball. But summer league also serves the important function of giving teams a chance to find out just what they have in players recently drafted. That was the case Tuesday afternoon in Tualatin, with the Trail Blazers holding their first summer league practice featuring Zach Collins and Caleb Swanigan, both acquired by the team in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft.
For Collins, the 10th overall pick who Portland acquired from Sacramento in exchange for the draft rights to Justin Jackson and Harry Giles, Tuesday’s practice afforded the 7-0 center a chance to show off his skills defending at the rim, an area the Trail Blazers have had some issue with in recent seasons.