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Atlanta Hawks Draft Profile: California’s Ivan Rabb

By Justin Hodges

Feb 2, 2017; Berkeley, CA, USA; California Golden Bears forward Ivan Rabb (1) reacts after a play by the Utah Utes during the second overtime period at Haas Pavilion. The California Golden Bears defeated the Utah Utes 77-75 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 2, 2017; Berkeley, CA, USA; California Golden Bears forward Ivan Rabb (1) reacts after a play by the Utah Utes during the second overtime period at Haas Pavilion. The California Golden Bears defeated the Utah Utes 77-75 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Atlanta Hawks are in the midst of a playoff run, but it’s time to start thinking about next summer’s NBA Draft.

While in the midst of the current NBA season, it is never too soon to think about the future. In the case of the Atlanta Hawks, the attentiveness to the future of the team goes towards the 2017 NBA Draft.

While fans and media can delve into trade rumor after trade rumor after trade rumor, the Hawks should have one main priority going forward aside from winning games. That is making sure the team acquires the right form of rich, young talent from the upcoming draft, which is loaded with incredible prospects.

The main concern with this is, obviously, which position do the Hawks need to look to draft?Ironically enough, the answer may be the position that is Atlanta’s biggest strength on the team now.

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The Hawks have enriched their backcourt with young players capable of carrying this team throughout the near future. Guys like Dennis Schroder, Tim Hardaway Jr., Kent Bazemore, and the rookies DeAndre’ Bembry and Taurean Prince have ensured that the point guard, shooting guard, and small forward positions are stable for quite possibly the next decade.

The main positions that lack spry youth are the front court positions. If we’re being specific, the Hawks lack Paul Millsap‘s potential replacement. While Millsap is Atlanta’s current best player, the Hawks have to factor in the slight possibility of team not re-signing him after this season.

Even if the Hawks manage to do so, the amount of quality seasons left for Millsap as a starter are possibly limited. He could be great for another half decade, but those age 32-35 seasons seem to be dark times for most NBA players.

That is why Atlanta’s main priority concerning the draft is to find a quality young big man in case of dire situation. Considering where the Hawks are positioned now, the team is looking at a pick somewhere in the mid 20’s in the draft order.

Thankfully, this draft that is currently powered by guards has quality big men that are sure to fall right to where Atlanta is drafting. One of those big men that could be well suited for the Hawks is California power forward Ivan Rabb.

Rabb is a solid and versatile four man that naturally plays how a power forward typically plays. He doesn’t do any one thing at an elite level, but Rabb does a variety of things at an extremely high level. He has a long, strong body with a 7’2″ wingspan, runs the floor well and is a good alley-oop target. His footwork is at a solid level at this stage of his career, and he is incredibly effective in the screen and roll game.

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Rabb isn’t necessarily a freak athlete but his size and mobility allow him to play to his strengths. He is an excellent rebounder that is able go up through traffic come down with rebounds both on the defensive and offensive boards. His combination of post-move ability and face up proficiency is rare for a college player.

Usually prospects are more polished at one more than the other, but Rabb averages over one point per possession at both. Add in that Rabb has a solid jump shot that has expanded to three point range, and he makes for one of the most efficient scorers in the draft.

Rabb warrants comparisons to a future NBA Hall of Famer in Chris Bosh, and he gets that praise for a reason. Their body styles are similar, his play style resembles that of Bosh in terms of the rebounding and offensive efficiency. Defensive potential is there with the ability to block shots and capability on help defense.

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Rabb may not go as high as he really should simply because of the surplus of talent in this class. If he falls to the Hawks, which is possible, it would be an incredible steal when it comes to the talent level. Millsap will go down as one of the greatest Atlanta Hawks ever; but if the team manages to nag a player like Rabb to replace him, then the Hawks could be set for a long time coming.

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