Hardwood Houdini Draft Profiles
Ivan Rabb: California, PF
Height: 6’11″
Weight: 220 pounds
Age: 20
Click on the name for up to date stats: Ivan Rabb
Strengths
Rebounding:
Rabb is an outstanding rebounder, leading the Pac 12 with 10.9 rebounds per game (top ten in the country). His 7’2” wingspan gives him great length when going after rebounds. He is one of the best rebounders in the entire country, and one of the best rebounding prospects. He has 13 double doubles on the season, and four in his past five games.
Low-Post Game:
Rabb primarily operates near the paint, and does most of his damage inside. He has great hands and footwork to operate down low. He has a solid jumper between 10 and 15 feet away from the basket, and has a few different moves to score around the rim. Although not a finished product, he does show flashes of potential in the post up game.
Weaknesses
Perimeter Shooting:
Rabb doesn’t spread out his game to the perimeter very often. He doesn’t take many jump shots beyond 20 feet. In today’s NBA, power forwards are almost required to stretch out the defense. Last season he only shot two 3-pointers and made one of them. This season, he has shown some improvement and has been more comfortable shooting beyond the arc. He is 6-13 on the season. Although this is not a poor percentage, there is not enough consistency on a nightly basis when shooting from the outside. He needs to be shooting from the outside more and more.
How Much Better:
Unlike his teammate Jaylen Brown, Rabb decided to come back to California for his sophomore season to improve his game. Although his scoring and rebounding has gone up, have we already seen the best of Rabb? How much better can he possibly get? A lot of prospects in this draft have really high ceilings and are just scratching the surface on their potential, Rabb may have already peaked.
Offensive Mentality/ Offensive Consistency:
Rabb sometimes struggles against stiffer competition and being the go to guy. He only has six games this year in which he did not score in double figures. Three of those games came against Virginia, Oregon, and Arizona. Additionally, Rabb sometimes gets lost in games and lacks the mentality of being a number one option. Although he is number one on every scouting report, which makes his life harder, he sometimes defers too much. He has to understand that he is the best player on his team and that he needs to be the go to guy every single game. He needs to insert some more aggressiveness into his very calm and quiet demeanor. Adding some muscle will help.
Overview
Rabb is arguably the best rebounding prospect in this draft. He is a solid defender and has shown improvement in his offensive game this year. He needs to expand his shooting range, and he needs to continue to develop his low post game, while also being able to finish with contact. He operates very well when close to the basket and has a fairly good skill set. He is at his best when he is within 15 feet of the basket. The biggest question is how much better is he going to get. He is an established double double guy and will continue that in the NBA. I expect Rabb to be a mid first round selection.