Coming into the 2017 draft, the Grizzlies had no picks and it was looking like it would stay this way throughout the majority of the first half of the draft. The front office decided to make not one, but two moves in order to get into this year’s draft. The transactions on draft night are as follows:

Grizzlies acquire 35th pick (Ivan Rabb) from the Orlando Magic for Brooklyn’s 2019 second round pick.

Grizzlies acquire 45th pick (Dillon Brooks) from the Houston Rockets for a 2018 second round pick.

Unless you’ve been really keeping up with college basketball, these names might not ring a bell to you. So who exactly are Ivan Rabb and Dillon Brooks and how could they help the Grizzlies?

Ivan Rabb

Rabb is a 6’10” power forward from the University of California. His wingspan is a long 7’2″ with a 32.5″ vertical posted in the 2017 Draft Combine. During his two year tenure in college, Ivan averaged 13.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.1 blocks on 54% shooting from the field.

He uses his athleticism to help his rebounding and defense. Offensively, his post up game is his strength being able to finish with both hands. Even though he is listed as a power forward, he has more of a centers game. To further his game in the pros he would need to develop more of an outside shot and gain some size to compete with the NBA bigs.

This move was most likely made in anticipation of either Randolph or Green leaving this off season. He would see some time in the G-League starting out, but could easily transition into a bench role before the season is over. Before his sophomore season, he was predicted to be a lottery pick, so the potential is there for the young big.

Oh, and Ivan has been showing love for the Grizzlies since 2013 (via Twitter):

Dillon Brooks

Brooks is a small forward with a listed height of 6’6″ and has very good size for his position with a listed weight of 220 pounds. His vertical at the combine was listed as 37.5″ and combined with his 3 point shooting of 40% last season, Brooks is a very deadly player for his position and could be a huge steal for the Grizzlies.

Over his three years at Oregon, Dillon posted averages of 14.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 0.9 blocks on 47% shooting from the field, 36% from behind the arc, and 79% from the free throw line. He has the size to punish smaller defenders and is fast enough to speed past bigger defenders, it is unsure is this will be able to transition in the NBA, but he has definitely shown the ability to continue this play. Defensively, he is a liability with an average wingspan and lateral quickness but this can easily be worked on knowing what the Grizzlies expect out of their players.

Since it is unsure of how many games Parsons will play this season and if a minutes restriction will be on him, this was a smart addition in case Allen and Carter both do not resign (knock on wood). Whether it is Rade Zagorac or Dillon Brooks, both are solid players to have in our back pocket.

And who can’t look forward to someone who can hit shots like this:

Matthew Starnes | @MatthewHStarnes