is Ivan Rabb being overlooked in the draft?

Two years ago, Cal coach Cuonzo Martin scored a recruiting coup for his academic-minded university: landing not one but two prospects ranked in the top 10. Jaylen Brown (#4) and PF Ivan Rabb (#8).

Given that, the results in their freshman year were a little underwhelming. Jaylen Brown flashed talent, but looked raw (43.1% shooting, 3.1 turnovers a game). Ivan Rabb was solid (12.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 61.5% shooting) if a little unspectacular. All in all, the Golden Bears finished 23-11, losing in the first round as a #5 seed to Hawaii in a game where Jaylen Brown shot 1-6 with 7 turnovers.

Despite the disappointing finish, the two young stars went in different directions. Jaylen Brown jumped to the NBA Draft, where "the rest is history" so to speak. He got selected high at #3, and should continue to improve off a solid rookie season.

Meanwhile, Ivan Rabb stayed as school, for better or worse. His play improved slightly (upping his numbers to 14.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per game), but his draft stock has cooled off considerably. Originally considered a lottery talent, he's now ranked #22 on NBA draft.net, #24 on ESPN, and #33 on DraftExpress.com.

To me, that's too low. Here are the reasons why I'd still consider Ivan Rabb in the teens...

(1) he can be a smallball center

Right now, Ivan Rabb gets flagged for being a "tweener." He's always been listed as a PF, but he doesn't offer much in way of spacing. As a center, he doesn't offer a ton of shot blocking (1.2 per game as a freshman, 1.0 as a senior).

However, Ivan Rabb does have some defensive assets that can make him a solid option as a smallball center. Essentially, I see him as a Tristan Thompson type at the next level. He may not be a great shot blocker, but he's 6'11" with a solid 7'1" wingspan -- allowing him to be a decent deterrent inside. Better than that, he's agile and athletic enough to hang on some switches, like Thompson is. And like Thompson, he can help you out on the glass. Rabb's taller than Thompson, and actually had better rebounding numbers in college. Thompson only averaged 7.8 per game in college, although he did have nearly half of those on offense (which may be a sign that he was a better rebounder than we expected.)

(2) his offense has the potential to improve

As a pure power forward, Ivan Rabb doesn't offer you the shooting that you'd want in the position. However, if we're sticking with the Tristan Thompson comparison and penciling in Ivan Rabb as a smallball center, then he flashes potential there.

Thompson came out of college as a terrible free throw shooter (48.7%) and a non-shooter from three. He's switched hands and improved there, but he still doesn't even attempt to space the court (he's 0 for 9 from three, combined, over six NBA seasons.)

On the other hand, Ivan Rabb is making a concerted effort to improve his range. It may not sound like much, but he went from hitting 1-2 from three as a freshman to hitting 8-20 as a sophomore. Hitting 0.3 threes per game doesn't "wow" you, but the idea that he's trying to improve his range is a good sign to me. Still only 20 years old, there's plenty of time to hone his skills and develop his game. He's a smart, hardworking kid who should put in the work to do so.

######conclusion

Ivan Rabb isn't an ideal fit at either PF or C in today's game, but that "tweener" status has caused his stock to drop too far, in my mind, making him a solid value pick in that 15-20 range.