MEMPHIS – Midway through a disappointing and injury-riddled season, the
Grizzlies shifted their focus to development for the immediate future.
As a result, the final months of a 22-60 finish were dedicated to fast-tracking
the growth and evaluation of rookies, second-year and third-year players on the
roster, with contract decisions looming on many of them within the next couple
of seasons.
While newcomers Dillon Brooks and Ivan Rabb appear to be steals from the second
round of last year’s draft, the jury remains out on prospects such as Deyonta
Davis and Wayne Selden. In either case, the Grizzlies missed the playoffs for
the first time in eight years and head toward the May 15 Draft Lottery assured
of no worse than a top-five pick in the June 21 NBA Draft.
The Grizzlies also have the second pick (No. 32 overall) in the second round and
the full midlevel exception in free agency to upgrade the roster, address needs
and chart a path back to the playoffs.
After starting Grind City Media’s ‘Offseason Outlook’ last week with my personal
analysis of the coaching situation and roster veterans, we continue this week
with a focus on young players the Grizzlies view as assets.
Player: Ivan Rabb, 21
Measurables: 6-10, 220 – 1st NBA Season
2017-18 Stats: 5.6ppg, 4.4rpg, 0.9apg in 14.3mpg, shot 56.6% overall from the
field.
Status: Due $1.3 million for 2018-19 salary in second season of a three-year
rookie contract.
Rabb’s 56.6-percent field-goal shooting ranks fourth among all rookies who
played at least 30 games this season, behind Golden State’s Jordan Bell,
Brooklyn’s Jarrett Allen and Atlanta’s John Collins.
Rabb showed all the signs why the Grizzlies maneuvered high into the second
round of last summer’s draft to grab him at No. 35 overall. The face-up game.
The footwork in the post. The agility, improvement mindset and high basketball
IQ. They’re all there in the making with Rabb, who spent the first half of the
season primarily with the G League’s Memphis Hustle before coming up to the
Grizzlies down the stretch. There’s so much about Rabb’s left-handed game and
mannerisms that remind you of developing Chris Bosh. Rabb doesn’t overwhelm with
athleticism, but never backed down from his apprenticeship against elite NBA
forwards from Blake Griffin to Carmelo Anthony to Anthony Davis. Rabb had three
double-doubles, his jumper stretches to 20 feet, and he can make plays off the
dribble.
As the roster is currently constituted, Rabb stands to be the biggest victim of
the Grizzlies’ numbers crunch at the big forward spot. Barring a trade, and if
everyone returns relatively healthy, Rabb may initially open next season behind
JaMychal Green, Jarell Martin and, possibly, Chandler Parsons at power forward.
And that doesn’t even include the possibility of using June’s lottery pick on
another big man. But with Green and Martin entering the last year of their
contracts, Rabb could use another season of grooming as a potential replacement
via attrition. What’s obvious is that despite some recent misses and/or bad
breaks on first-round draft picks, the Grizzlies landed two long-term keepers in
Rabb and Brooks in last year’s second round. Rabb should be on course to soon
join Brooks as a rotation regular.
The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Memphis
Grizzlies. All opinions expressed by Michael Wallace are solely his own and do
not reflect the opinions of the Memphis Grizzlies or its Basketball Operations
staff, owners, parent companies, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known
to the Memphis Grizzlies and he has no special access to information beyond the
access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the
media.
Player: Ivan Rabb
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outlook-ivan-rabb-180425
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Taxonomy: Offseason Outlook, Grind City Media, Michael Wallace, MikeCheck
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outlook-ivan-rabb-180425
