Memphis Grizzlies: Ivan Rabb Continues To Shine In Starting Role

The Memphis Grizzlies continue to struggle but there are some positives to take away from their play. One of them is the emergence of Ivan Rabb as a player to build around for the future.

Just a couple of months ago it seemed as if Ivan Rabb‘s time with the Memphis Grizzlies was coming to an end. It seemed as if he was being given one last shot to prove himself to the coaching staff, and he did just that.

Rabb has spent a lot of time in the G-League this season with the Memphis Hustle developing his game and he played at a high level in those games. In eight games with the Hustle, he averaged 20.5 points, 8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.8 blocks per game.

He also won a G-League Player of the Week award with his excellent play. One skill he showed down there was a three-point shot that we still haven’t seen much with the Grizzlies. He has played great recently but that is an area he has improved in but still needs to continue to do so.

Rabb has started the last seven games and he has put up double-double type numbers often throughout the season. His role will continue to decrease with Jonas Valanciunas likely set to take that starting center spot eventually but Rabb continues to play well and will have a big role the rest of the season.

With Jaren Jackson Jr. out indefinitely we will continue to see some combinations inside that we aren’t used to seeing. Valanciunas and Rabb both started Saturday night in Cleveland so that is what I expect it to be going forward. We did see Bruno Caboclo start on Friday night but that was when Valanciunas was unavailable.

Caboclo will still get some minutes at the power forward spot but he likely will come off the bench the rest of the season. The guy who will likely take minutes from Rabb is Joakim Noah who has been playing at a high level.

In the seven games in February Noah is averaging 12.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3 assists per game. He is playing at a high level and is looking like his old self. In the recent home win over the New Orleans Pelicans, he finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds off the bench. He has rejuvenated his career and is back playing the game he loves at a high level.

In the month of February Rabb has been playing some pretty good ball as well. He is averaging 10.3 points and 5.8 rebounds in the nine games played. His best game of the season took place during a home win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on February 5th.

In that game, he finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds on 8-10 shooting. Six of his rebounds came on the offensive glass which is an area he has succeeded in all season long. He continuously makes the hustle plays to help this team stay in or get back into games.

The hustle plays are what got him a chance with this team and he has taken full advantage. In the 31 games he has played in this season he is averaging 5.4 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. Those numbers are actually less than the 5.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game he averaged in 36 games last season.

Last season was way different though as it was a team that wasn’t trying to win games. This season most would say he is a much better all-around player and that’s why he looks to be a key piece moving forward.

It’ll be interesting to see what the Grizzlies do with Noah this offseason but I would expect them to try to bring him back. Noah clearly enjoys playing in Memphis but it’ll be interesting to see how much interest he draws on the free agent market. The way he has played this season he surely will draw interest from some playoff caliber teams as a backup center.

No matter who is on the team next season Rabb will have some role in the rotation. He will continue to shine the rest of the season before settling into a backup role for the future.