Ricky Rubio WILL be the best passer in the league, sooner then you think too.
- Thread starter Boogie-havoc
- Start date
Well, I hope you're not judging him based solely on last night's game, it was a bad shooting night for him. He started off red hot at the beginning of the season and has since cooled down. I'd argue that his set shot (especially from 3 pt range) has been consistently solid, but his shot off the dribble has been streaky, and hasn't been as good since defenses have adjusted to him. I have confidence he'll get better, but his set shot is still good enough to say that his shooting is better than people were expecting.
I suppose it just is a case of my personal expectations. The thing is that I'm still not quite sure whether or not that streak to start the season wasn't just that (a streak) and that what we're seeing more recently isn't more akin to his actual shooting ability. Last night certainly wouldn't rank up there with his best shooting performances but that aside, there is a certain lack of touch on his shot that is hard to describe but is certainly something that will probably be corrected over time. That being said, he's still proven to be a better shooter in the NBA than Jimmer.
The weakest part of Rubio's game was said to be defense coming into NBA. That's proving to be wrong as he's simply maturing (now 21) and has made D a primary focus for some time. Ricky has surprisingly long arms to go along with his growing nicely into 6'4-6'5ish frame. He's also much quicker than NBA opponents ever imagined. Not necessarily "fast" but plays court angles well and keeps his arms up and out stretched for deflections and steals. Rubio ranks among top 10 in steals so far this season in NBA. His shooting has gradually improved since first turning pro at age 14-15 in Europe. Shooting will be easiest thing for Rubio to improve and I have no doubt he'll get better at it as a long NBA career unfolds.
Rubio looks good, but the hype has gotten WAY out of hand. He's been good for a rookie, but he's not even the best rookie right now (Irving is easily better). He's proven that he's a very good passer at the NBA level, but his turnovers are a bit high (expected from a rook). His 3 point shooting has been crazy and it will be interesting to see if he keeps it up or if he is on a bit of a hot streak. His biggest problem so far has to be his 2 point shooting. He is actually shooting better from 3 than overall (only shooting 39.5% overall). He is having a lot of trouble finishing at the basket and shooting midrange against NBA defenses. His defense has been better than expected, but is still pretty average. He gets a lot of steals with his pretty long arms, but is often beaten individually. Overall, he is a rookie that has a lot of potential and could turn out to be a star in the league, but I'm hearing people saying he's the next Steve Nash, etc., which is absurd to say at this moment.
Yeah, I notice that's what his Minny team mates and coaches keep raving about, besides all the amazing highlight reel passes. But really, his very solid D is mostly about all out effort - his talent just jelling it together. It looks like Rubio puts out max effort on D every minute he's on the court- something only a very few of his T'Wolves buddies seem interested in.
There's a lot to Rubio that people miss. His defense is just one of those things. There's this odd idea that Rubio's teammates hit threes while other team don't. (Namely Reke's teammates don't.) The truth is that the wolves miss a ton of threes that Rubio sets up for them, but Rubio doesn't ever bail on them and for that, they keep confident. When Ricky was coming off the bench, the TWolves bench was very strong. Now that he starts, the bench has lost a step. Rubio is the engine to that team on offense and defense.
At the end of this Jazz game, the Wolves missed nearly all their threes. I believe it was Rubio that was the only one making shots. He doesn't abandon the offense because of this. It's little things like that which make a difference over the course of a season, even in a loss.
At the end of this Jazz game, the Wolves missed nearly all their threes. I believe it was Rubio that was the only one making shots. He doesn't abandon the offense because of this. It's little things like that which make a difference over the course of a season, even in a loss.
Here is an interesting write up on Rubio from Hoop Consultants:
http://www.hoopconsultants.com/2012/01/breakdown-and-analysis-of-ricky-rubio/
http://www.hoopconsultants.com/2012/01/breakdown-and-analysis-of-ricky-rubio/
First let me clarify that I wanted Rubio but the article left me scratching my head. At the beginning the guy said there were all kinds of PGs but he liked the ones that can put the ball in people's hands. OK, so that means he is not comparing him to scorers, etc.
Then there is this near the end of the artcle: "He will be as good as his team around him. He doesn’t have the ability to automatically make your team good like a Steve Nash, Deron Williams, or a Chris Paul. But, what he does do is when you surround him with the horses needed to win games he will push you over the edge to go from a good team to a very good team or a very good team to a great team."
I suppose that means what it says but with putting together the idea of what kind of PG this guy likes and the final quote, I'm not sure how much he is complimenting Ricky. I guess the bottom line is if you put Ricky on a team that can score a lot, he will get a lot of assists.
Then there is this near the end of the artcle: "He will be as good as his team around him. He doesn’t have the ability to automatically make your team good like a Steve Nash, Deron Williams, or a Chris Paul. But, what he does do is when you surround him with the horses needed to win games he will push you over the edge to go from a good team to a very good team or a very good team to a great team."
I suppose that means what it says but with putting together the idea of what kind of PG this guy likes and the final quote, I'm not sure how much he is complimenting Ricky. I guess the bottom line is if you put Ricky on a team that can score a lot, he will get a lot of assists.