Georgia transfer Jabri Abdur-Rahim is coming to Providence, how he'll slot into a critical role next season

The 6'8 shooter from South Orange, NJ has one season of eligibility remaining and should slide into the role left behind by Ticket Gaines (this article includes a correction from the original email).

Providence continues to navigate the 2024 transfer portal with precision.

Their latest commitment comes in the form of Jabri Abdur-Rahim, a 6’8 shooter from South Orange, New Jersey who spent a year at Virginia before playing at Georgia over the past three seasons.

The Friars were in need of a wing who could guard either forward spot to replace Ticket Gaines (or potentially serve as small ball four early in the season, if Bryce Hopkins isn’t ready by November) and that’s just what they got in Abdur-Rahim.

He enjoyed a breakout season in 2023-24, upping his scoring average from 7.1 points per game to 12.2 in 25.9 minutes a night. Abdur-Rahim hit 62 three pointers last season, despite missing several games down the stretch with an ankle injury. Those 62 threes would have been the second best mark on Providence’s team a season ago, and he hit them at a 35% clip.

He also averaged 4.6 free throws per game, while shooting 88.7% at the stripe.

The son of former NBA All Star Shareef Abdur-Rahim, the most recent Providence commit earned the nickname “40BallBri” in high school after putting up consecutive 40-point games on the Nike EYBL circuit, including a game against eventual #1 overall pick Cade Cunningham. Abdur-Rahim was considered a top 40 prospect in his class coming out of high school.

He showed some of that scoring prowess this season, kicking off his year with 18 points against Oregon and then scoring 17 versus Wake Forest in the second game of the year, before later going for 21 (on 5-9 from three) against #5 Tennessee and 34 (on 7-14 from three) versus Kentucky.

Georgia, who Providence defeated in the Bahamas in November, finished 20-17 overall and 6-12 in the SEC, but Abdur-Rahim injured his ankle on March 2, forcing him to miss the final two games of the regular season, a pair of SEC Tournament contests, and their games in the NIT. He was the fifth player to transfer from Georgia this spring.

While much of the focus will be on what Abdur-Rahim will bring offensively, this is a much-improved defensive player. Opponents shot just 25.9% when being guarded by him this season, which includes holding them to 0-14 when guarding in isolation, 1-10 in post ups, 5-18 against pick and roll ball handlers, and 24-80 (30%) against spot up shooters.

Offensively, Abdur-Rahim ranked in the 82nd percentile in the country in spot up opportunities, 76th in transition, 40th off screens, and 91st in jump shots off the dribble. Just over 72% of his shots came from beyond the 3-point arc this season, and he also had ten “and ones.”

Abdur-Rahim was scoring consistently, before getting hurt late in the season

The portal has certainly been kind to Kim English and the Friars this spring — not only from the perspective of what they’ve added, but in their ability to retain key pieces. Three of their four target areas heading into this portal season have been filled by very capable players. Abdur-Rahim and Miami point guard transfer Bensley Joseph both have four years of high major experience and production under their belts, while center Christ Essandoko brings offensive versatility and considerable upside.

Coincidentally or not, English has approached the portal in a Bill Belichickian manner, grabbing players he saw up close and personal during the 2023-24 season. Essandoko was part of a St. Joe’s team that had a secret scrimmage against PC in October, while both Joseph and Abdur-Rahim were part of a four-team tournament with the Friars in the Bahamas in November.

Looking to add a scoring guard as their last portal piece, English and his staff are set to host Milwaukee scorer BJ Freeman on a zoom this week (Freeman shared this news with his Instagram followers on Monday). The 6’6 junior was one of the best scorers in the country a season ago (21.1 ppg), and he also added 6.6 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. The North Carolina native kicked off his 2023-24 campaign by scoring 33 points against the Friars in PC’s 79-69 victory. That game was the first of four contests in which Freeman scored 30+ points.

Correction: The paragraph above has been edited from the initial publication, as BJ Freeman is planning a Zoom meeting with Providence this week, not an in-person visit.

From a player retention and acquisition perspective, the first month of the offseason has gone about as well as Providence could have hoped. In Abdur-Rahim they have added a veteran shooter, more experience, and a very capable defender on the wing. With so much of the roster stabilized, the staff is in position to take a big swing with their final portal addition.