Chicago Bulls: 3 free agents to sign to upgrade defensively

Ian Mahinmi, Chicago Bulls Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Ian Mahinmi, Chicago Bulls Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
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Ivan Rabb Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Ivan Rabb Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

Free agents that could help Chicago Bulls defensively: Ivan Rabb

Potentially the most underrated and interesting option on this list that the Bulls could turn to for help on the free agent market at this point of the regular season is the former Cal Golden Bears big man and 24-year-old 6-foot-10 and 220 pound Ivan Rabb. The 35th overall pick of the Magic in the second round of the 2017 NBA Draft hasn’t found much traction with any team in the league thus far.

Most of the action that Rabb saw since getting picked up by the Magic in the 2017 draft came in the G-League. And all of the NBA game action that Rabb saw in his career to date actually came with the Memphis Grizzlies, during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. He hasn’t played in a single NBA regular season game since 2019.

In that span of time, Rabb has played in around 80 NBA regular season games, and 70 regular season games in the G-League. He was good in limited action with the Delaware Blue Colts on the defensive end in less than 20 games played in the G-League during the 2020-21 campaign. He registered a solid 105 defensive rating, 26.4 defensive rebounding percentage, 2.4 steal percentage, 3.1 block percentage, and .174 win shares per 48 minutes.

Rabb is still young and could have a lot of growth potential left in his game. He’s averaged an impressive 10.6 rebounds per 36 minutes, and around one steal and one block in the 85 career regular season games he’s played in the NBA to date. Maybe that could translate in a reserve role with the Bulls if he got a shot in Chicago.