Cal sophomore Ivan Rabb has decided to enter the 2017 NBA draft, and doesn’t expect to withdraw his name later in the spring, he tells Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. Jon Rothstein of FanRag Sports confirms (via Twitter) that Rabb plans to sign with an agent, forgoing his remaining NCAA eligibility.
“Cal meant a lot to me,” Rabb told Spears. “My two years at Cal was a huge learning experience both on and off of the court.”
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Many draft experts and NBA observers expected Rabb to declare for the draft a year ago, but he made the surprise decision to stay in school for his sophomore season. In his second year with the Golden Bears, Rabb averaged a double-double with 14.0 PPG and 10.5 RPG, though his FG% dipped from .615 in his freshman year to .484 in 2016/17.
According to ESPN’s Chad Ford, NBA scouts viewed Rabb’s sophomore year as a “mild disappointment” — although he improved as a scorer and rebounder, Rabb didn’t take the major steps forward that those scouts had been hoping for. Still, Ford views the 20-year-old power forward as a probable first-round pick, ranking him 23rd overall on his big board. DraftExpress also places Rabb 23rd among this year’s draft prospects.
Dude reminds me of Tristan thompson, but a way better defender