Swanigan staying in draft

CALEB Swanigan, who worked out with the Knicks on Wednesday, is remaining in the NBA draft, his father Roosevelt Barnes told the Daily News.

Swanigan had not yet hired an agent and was keeping his options open about returning for his junior year at Purdue, where the 20-year-old averaged 18.5 points and 12.5 rebounds as the Big 10 Player of the Year last season. But Swanigan decided to move forward with his pro career, and his father is bullish about the potential of the power forward nicknamed ‘Biggie.’

“Biggie is the best player in the draft,” Barnes said.

Statistically, Barnes has an argument. Last season Swanigan, who met with Phil Jackson at the NBA combine, put up scoring and rebounding numbers not seen in the NCAA since Tim Duncan. His 28 double-doubles led the NCAA, and he was the first college player since Duncan to record 600 points, 400 rebounds and 100 assists in a season. He has been compared to Draymond Green (who slipped all the way to 35th in the 2012 draft), Zach Randolph and Kevin Love.

But a lack of athleticism — coupled with concerns about his ability to defend the pickand-roll — has hurt his NBA stock, with most mock drafts pitting Swanigan in the early second round. Draftexpress, for instance, has Swanigan going 40th overall, four spots ahead of New York’s secondround pick (Knicks also own the eighth pick and the 55th).

Barnes is certain that any team passing on Swanigan is making a mistake.

“Give him 25 minutes per game next season, he’ll lead the league in rebounding,” Barnes said.

Swanigan also has a dramatic feel-good backstory, not dissimilar from Michael Oher’s in the movie “The Blind Side.” Only six years ago, Swanigan was homeless as the son of unstable parents. He was also obese as a 360-pound eighth-grader.

But around that time, he was saved by Barnes, a family friend who adopted Swanigan, helped him shed over 100 pounds and developed a future NBA player.