The Memphis Grizzlies have signed former Portland Trail Blazers guard Rayan Rupert to a 10-day contract, ESPN's Shams Charania reports. Portland recently waived Rupert to create a spot on their 15-man roster for Sidy Cissoko, who was previously on a two-way contract.
Rupert now gets the opportunity to audition for a young Grizzlies team that recently moved on from Jaren Jackson Jr. at the trade deadline. That could work in Rupert's favor; it signals a shift in Memphis' timeline approach, meaning they can afford to be more patient with his development.
The Blazers no longer had that luxury. They faced a roster crunch, compounded by the fact that they already had two virtually unplayable players, an injured Damian Lillard and rookie project Yang Hansen.
Rayan Rupert's Grizzlies audition is the perfect fit
It shouldn't come as a surprise that Rupert landed with the Grizzlies, as there are many similarities between the two teams. Portland has quietly embraced a similar "grit and grind" approach in its roster construction and overall defensive-minded philosophy. Rupert fits that mold well, given his length and defensive versatility as a 6-foot-7 guard.
He has potential worth betting on, whether that's with Memphis eventually offering him a new deal or ultimately landing elsewhere.
There's a certain "Swiss Army Knife" player archetype with his physical tools and skill set, but the challenge lies in bringing that to fruition. Rupert is still a raw project, years away from putting it all together. This season, he's averaging a career-low 2.9 points in 12.0 minutes per game, shooting inefficiently at 36.1% from the field and 31% from beyond the arc.
He'll need to improve on the offensive end in order to make more of a two-way impact. Rupert is an underrated passer who can make good decisions with the ball in his hands, but that's rarely going to be his role in the offense as an end-of-the-bench player. Because of that, it's imperative that he develops a more reliable shot. If he can turn into a more consistent 3-and-D guard, Rupert might have what it takes to stick around in the league.
It was ultimately in Portland's best interest to move on from the Frenchman, but that doesn't necessarily mean he doesn't belong in the NBA. The fact that Memphis swooped him up so quickly is an encouraging sign, and now it's up to Rupert to prolong his NBA career.