Player Preview Series: Jabri Abdur-Rahim is set to step into an important role at Providence

For Jabri Abdur-Rahim, the 2024-25 season at Providence offers a chance to return to a place he hasn’t been since his freshman year at Virginia: the NCAA Tournament.

The son of NBA great Shareef Abdur-Rahim, he enrolled at Virginia as a top-50 prospect in the class of 2020 (#45 on Rivals, #38 on 247 Sports, #38 on ESPN) after a very productive high school career split between New Jersey-based schools Seton Hall Prep and Blair Academy. His stature elevated further at the 2019 Nike Peach Jam when he scored 40 points in consecutive games, including in a matchup with the top player in the country, Cade Cunningham.

Abdur-Rahim’s stint at UVA lasted only a year, however. And it was a trying year for the defending national champions.

Led by a trio of future NBA players in Sam Hauser, Trey Murphy, and Jay Huff, Tony Bennett’s group won the ACC regular season title and spent a good portion of the year in the top ten nationally — but it all ended abruptly, and unfairly, in March.

The Cavaliers withdrew from the semifinals of the ACC Tournament after positive Covid tests within their program, and spent the week leading up to the NCAA Tournament meeting remotely before falling in the first round to Ohio.

A freshman on a team with NBA-level wings ahead of him, Abdur-Rahim played sparingly before deciding to transfer to Georgia. In his first two seasons with the Dawgs he averaged 18 minutes and seven points per game, before taking on an expanded role last season. Abdur-Rahim averaged 12.2 points in 25.9 minutes per game, while shooting 35% from beyond the arc and 88% at the free throw line (118-133).

While Georgia improved over the course of his three years there (they were 6-26 overall and 1-17 in the SEC three years ago, then went 16-16 and 20-17 with matching 6-12 conference records the past two seasons), Abdur-Rahim enters this season on a team with very realistic NCAA Tournament expectations — which would be a personal first since his freshman year at UVA.

For Providence to get there, however, they are going to need important contributions from the fifth year forward. On paper, he seems most likely to step into the four spot minutes that will be available while Bryce Hopkins works his way back from a torn ACL. Upon Hopkins’ return he will then provide significant value as a proven shooter and solid defender with positional flexibility.

The fit felt all but perfect when news of Abdur-Rahim to Providence became official. The Friars needed a veteran that could shoot and defend both forward spots, and there is confidence in Friartown that there are levels to his offensive game left to unlock.

“I like his fit with the rest of our team,” Providence assistant Matt Palumbo told Friar Basketball earlier this summer. “You look at it, you’ve got Jayden (Pierre) and Bensley (Joseph) who can really pass. You’ve got Wesley (Cardet Jr.) who puts a ton of pressure on the rim, and then can pass out when he’s drawing pressure at the rim. You’ve got Richard (Barron) who is a sniper. You’ve got Justyn (Fernandez) who is a sniper.”

The forward spots in Providence figure to provide significant production as well. “Bryce draws two people. It’s hard to play Bryce one-on-one, and Jabri really has to be accounted for on the offensive end as well.”

Few would complain if Providence gets similar production from Abdur-Rahim to what he provided Georgia a season ago. He ranked in the 82nd percentile in the nation in spot up opportunities, in the 77th percentile on jump shots, and 78th on contested jumpers. He also took nearly five (4.6) free throw attempts per game, while making them at an 88% clip.

There were big games against high-level opponents as well.

He scored 34 points (on 7-14 from three) against Kentucky, and 21 (on five made threes) versus Tennessee. Abdur-Rahim started last year hot with 18 in the season opener against Oregon, 17 versus Wake Forest the next time out, and a combined 22 against Miami and PC in the Bahamas in November.

Still, the Friar staff thinks there is more to Abdur-Rahim’s game to be unlocked, particularly when attacking from inside the arc (174 of his 241 shots came from three last year).

“A lot of what we’ve been doing with him is working on being more efficient from two. You know that he’s going to make threes. He’s shown that, he’s done that, but then once people take you off the three, where do you go? How do you handle yourself at the rim? Do you play with control? That’s been a lot of the work we’ve put in this summer, and he’s done a really great job improving those things,” Palumbo said.

While much of the focus is on Abdur-Rahim’s ability to spread the floor, he proved to be a more consistent defender as his career progressed. He ranked in the 58th percentile in points per possession against as a sophomore, and in the 43rd percentile a year later, before seeing his ranking jump to the 91st percentile in 2023-24.

“He was a much, much improved defender at Georgia this past year compared to his previous seasons. When you really study him you think, ‘Man, this guy can really guard,’ so I think for him it will be important to keep taking steps in that direction,” Palumbo shared.

Kim English will be the fourth head coach Abdur-Rahim plays for in his college career, but much like Devin Carter a season ago, he benefits from not only having grown up around the game with a father who played in the NBA, but in learning from a leader — in Abdur-Rahim’s case, from someone remembered as one of the best leaders in the league during a 12-year career that saw him average over 18 points per game.

Following last season’s coaching change at Providence, Carter compared it to playing in the NBA where your coach, the city you live in, and the team you are a part of can change in an instant. Carter took it as an opportunity to learn about what was ahead for him as a professional. That type of mentality benefitted both Carter and the Friars through a season filled with emotional ups and downs for Providence.

Perhaps growing up around the game has given Abdur-Rahim similar maturity and perspective.

Regardless, Abdur-Rahim was brought to Providence to play a crucial role. Kim English and his staff pounced quickly once they saw Abdur-Rahim was available, and they will rely on him to be an important piece to help transition through Hopkins’ return, and as a versatile defender capable of swinging games with his scoring ability throughout the season.