Miami Heat: Ivan Rabb brought in for workout, but is he a good fit?

The Miami Heat own the 14th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, and they need a power forward. Well, Cal’s Ivan Rabb is one, and reportedly had a workout with the team.

Fans of the Miami Heat may have noticed that the team has been quite hush-hush about which 2017 NBA Draft prospects they’re bringing in for workouts.

While other franchises have directly told the world the players they’re getting a closer look at (primarily through their social media feeds), Miami has been silent on the matter.

Apparently, that’s by design. At least, according to the extremely well-connected Ira Winderman, of the Sun Sentinel:

Unlike during some previous years, Heat have elected not to announce workouts, allow interviews or post workout videos on their site. https://t.co/EhNXLDRWG3
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) May 21, 2017

So Wednesday, when another South Florida beat writer legend, Barry Jackson, reported on the Heat bringing in a college player for a private workout, the excitement on Twitter was downright palpable. (I mean, his tweet on the topic got 15 retweets and 23 likes; that’s a solid way to gauge public interest, I suppose.)

The prospect in question, as it turns out, was California’s Ivan Rabb. And that’s interesting for a few reasons: For one, he’s a power forward, and that’s easily the weakest position on the Heat’s roster. What’s more, thus far in the draft process, Rabb and Miami haven’t been linked together much at all — even despite the obvious fit.

Well, maybe there’s a reason for that.

First, let’s talk about who the Cal big man is; afterwards, we can get into whether or not he’d be a savvy pick by the Heat.

Who are you, Mr. Rabb?

Rabb arrived to Cal as the seventh best prospect in the entire 2015 high school class. He was rated higher than guys like Jamal Murray, Malik Beasley and Marquese Chriss, three players who were first round picks in the 2016 NBA Draft. Safe to say, expectations for Rabb were high.

Though he wasn’t a bust by any means, he didn’t really live up to those expectations either. Cal failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament during Rabb’s sophomore year — the season in which he was supposed to be the guy in Berkeley. They did make it during his freshman campaign, but didn’t win a game in the tourney. That was even with Jaylen Brown, a future No. 3 overall pick, on the roster.

Over his two years of college, the big man averaged 13.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 54.4 percent from the floor and 66.6 percent from the foul stripe. Rabb also made 40.9 percent of his three-point attempts, which, at first glance, could fool you into thinking he’s a stretch-4.

Miami Heat

Unfortunately, that does not appear to be the case. He shot just 22 threes in college, making nine of them; he’s not really comfortable (yet, at least) from outside of 15 feet.

Also of note is that Rabb decided to return to Cal for his sophomore year to improve his stock, spurning a chance to be a one-and-done prospect. Via Draft Express’ mock history feature, toward the end of his freshman campaign, he was projected to be a late lottery selection.

Now, most draft experts have him pegged as a pick in the early 20s. His bold gamble did not pay off.

As a prospect, Rabb’s just an okay scorer, with a decent face-up game, great hands, plus-rebounding ability and solid agility for his size. However, the fact that he’s already 20 years old begs the question: How much better can he really get? Rabb does not shoot threes and his 220-pound frame doesn’t correlate with someone who’ll be able to bang with big men down low on a full-time basis. Yet he also lacks the foot quickness to chase around modern NBA stretch-4s.

You can survive, and even thrive, as a 3/4 tweener (like Justise Winslow) in today’s league; players stuck between the 4 and the 5, however, are far less likely to succeed.

Rabb’s fit with the Miami Heat

Per Jackson’s report, we shouldn’t put that much stock in the Heat working Rabb out. In his own words:

"“Initially characterized as a potential top-10 pick heading into 2017, Rabb now is projected for the teens or potentially later, with ESPN’s Chad Ford slotting him 24th among all prospects. The Heat wants a close look at virtually all of the players projected for its draft range. Some of the players will come in for workouts; others will be analyzed in group workouts organized by their agents.”"

Miami’s simply doing its due diligence by getting a closer look at a guy who plays a position of need. According to the Palm Beach Post, the team plans to “bring in about 30 players for workouts.”

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So no, Pat Riley hasn’t lost his marbles and the Heat aren’t going to reach for a guy at No. 14 just to fill a hole at the 4-spot. Miami fans should all take great solace in that because, Rabb isn’t the right prospect for their beloved South Florida franchise.

Perhaps if he had picked up a three-point shot by now, or if he had finished his college career with more assists (79) than turnovers (119), he’d make a bit more sense.

Or if his shooting percentage hadn’t dipped from 61.5 percent as a freshman all the way down to 48.4 percent in his second year, as he was asked to carry more of the load offensively.

Next: Top 10 Draft picks in Miami Heat history

Rabb is a fine player overall, but one that still lacks skill (even after two years at Cal), and doesn’t have the requisite freakish athleticism to make up for the deficiency. All in all, he’s not what the Heat should target at No. 14.