Rupert Brings Length, Experience and Upside to Philadelphia

Rayan Rupert’s Memphis Breakout Gives Philadelphia an Intriguing Two-Way Bet

Written by Logan Dykhouse

Rayan Rupert is only 22 years old, but he arrives in Philadelphia with three NBA seasons and more than 150 regular-season appearances already behind him.

That is an unusual résumé for a player entering the season on a two-way contract. The 76ers signed Rupert after a career that appeared to be stalling in Portland changed considerably over the final months of last season. Memphis picked him up only two days after the Trail Blazers waived him and gave him the largest role of his NBA career.

Portland Drafted Rupert for the Tools

Portland selected Rupert 43rd overall in the 2023 NBA Draft when he was still 19 years old. At 6-foot-7 and 205 pounds with a 7-foot-3 wingspan, his physical profile immediately made him an intriguing defensive prospect.

His rookie season reflected how raw he still was. Rupert appeared in 39 games and started 12 for a Trail Blazers team that went 21-61 and finished last in the Western Conference. He averaged 4.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists while shooting 33.5% from the field.

Portland was deep in a rebuild, so Rupert’s early minutes were less about immediate results and more about giving a long-term prospect room to experiment. His combination of size, length and movement made the upside obvious even when the production and efficiency were inconsistent.

The tools were clear, but turning them into consistent NBA production would take longer.

His Role Never Fully Took Off in Portland

Rupert played 52 games in 2024-25 but averaged only 8.8 minutes and 3.0 points. His role grew slightly the following season, when he averaged 12.0 minutes across 48 appearances, but he still had not established himself as a consistent rotation player.

There were flashes. Late in 2024-25, Rupert scored 19 points against Utah, 15 against Golden State and finished the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds against the Lakers while receiving extended minutes.

He showed more of the same the following year, including a 13-point, three-steal performance against Atlanta in January. Still, nearly three seasons after drafting him, Portland elected to move on.

The Trail Blazers waived Rupert on Feb. 20, 2026.

Memphis Wasted No Time Giving Him Another Chance

Rupert was without a team for only two days.

Memphis signed him to a 10-day contract on Feb. 22, and he immediately received more responsibility than he had in Portland. Over five games on the deal, Rupert averaged 10.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 26.6 minutes.

That was enough for Memphis to keep him around. On March 4, the Grizzlies signed Rupert to a two-way contract.

Across 16 games with Memphis, he started eight and averaged 12.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.6 steals in 30.9 minutes per game. Compared with the 2.9 points he had averaged for Portland earlier in the same season, Memphis provided the first extended look at Rupert handling meaningful NBA responsibility.

The jump was not just about scoring more. Memphis put the ball in Rupert’s hands more often, trusted him to make decisions and allowed him to play through mistakes. That broader responsibility helped reveal playmaking and rebounding value that had rarely surfaced during his smaller Portland role.

The Grizzlies were dealing with a depleted roster down the stretch, but Rupert still had to capitalize on the opportunity.

He did.

The 33-Point Triple-Double

Rupert's best NBA performance came April 5 against Milwaukee.

He played 39 minutes and finished with 33 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and four steals, recording the first triple-double of his career. He became only the third player in Grizzlies history to produce a 30-point triple-double, joining Ja Morant and Desmond Bane.

It was not his only productive game with an expanded role. Rupert closed the season with consecutive double-doubles, recording 16 points and 12 rebounds against Utah before putting up 21 points, 12 rebounds and five assists against Houston.

Those performances did not suddenly make Rupert a finished NBA player, but they made the upside that originally interested Portland considerably easier to see.

What Rupert Brings to Philadelphia

Rupert's clearest NBA trait remains his physical profile.

A 7-foot-3 wingspan at his size gives him unusual reach on the perimeter, and he averaged 1.6 steals during his Memphis stint. His length gives him the potential to defend multiple positions and create disruption without requiring a large offensive role.

Memphis also showed more of Rupert's offensive game. He rebounded well, attacked with the ball, and occasionally operated as a creator rather than simply finishing possessions. His 33-point triple-double was the extreme example, but the overall stretch showed considerably more versatility than his Portland averages suggested.

The shooting remains one of the biggest questions. Rupert has yet to become a dependable NBA three-point shooter, and improving there would make it significantly easier for Philadelphia to keep his size and defense on the floor.

That matters because Philadelphia does not need Rupert to become a primary scorer. If the shooting improves enough, his length, defensive activity and secondary creation could give the Sixers a useful wing who can fit around higher-usage players while still handling occasional possessions himself.

That combination of established NBA experience and remaining upside makes him an unusual two-way addition.

Philadelphia Has Already Shown a Willingness to Convert Two-Ways

Rupert also joins an organization that provided a real pathway from two-way contract to standard roster spot last season.

Philadelphia converted both Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker after initially signing them to two-way contracts. That does not mean Rupert will follow the same path, but it shows the Sixers are willing to reward a two-way player who proves he belongs in the NBA rotation.

Philadelphia also enters the season with 14 standard contracts, leaving one standard roster spot open.

For Rupert, that gives the two-way deal more intrigue. He already has considerably more NBA experience than the typical developmental signing, and Memphis showed what can happen when his role expands.

Philadelphia’s Two-Way Room

Rupert is not the only Philadelphia two-way player arriving from Portland.

Caleb Love also joined the 76ers this summer after spending his rookie season with the Trail Blazers. Love offers more scoring and shooting from the guard spot, while Rupert brings greater size, defensive versatility and NBA experience.

The combination gives Philadelphia two very different developmental options while the third two-way position remains available. On the Two Way Talents team rankings, the 76ers are currently tied for the second-best two-way contract room in the league.

For Rupert, the next step is determining whether his Memphis production was simply the result of increased opportunity or evidence that his game has genuinely begun to catch up with his physical tools.

Portland drafted the upside. Memphis finally gave it room to show itself. Philadelphia now gets the next opportunity to see how far it can go.