Ricky Rubio: A potential rising star

Minnesota Timberwolve’s Ricky Rubio

Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio came into the league amidst lot of expectations and skepticism. When he was drafted with the fifth pick in the first round by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2009 draft, Ricky became the first player born in the 1990s to be drafted into the NBA. He is the youngest player to play in the Spanish ACB League. He’s also the first player born in the 90s to play in a Euroleague Game.

Observe the title closely, “potential” rising star. Rubio is definitely talented. Nobody denies that. However, as we all very well know, having talent and potential alone isn’t enough to turn a potential star into an actual star. It takes self reflection, hard work and durability (something which way too many players seem to lack).

He has played two seasons in the NBA and has created quite a stir. Till he tore his ACL (defending Kobe Bryant) everything seemed to be going well for the Wolves. Without his presence on the field, they were easy prey for their opponents. This in itself has led many fans to be believe that he is the floor general of the Wolves and that they depend on him to run their offense. This is actually not the case.

He has all the raw materials a franchise could expect from a player it thinks can lead it in the future. He’s quick, can read and break down the defense, can pass well and even grabs a few rebounds every game. Rubio’s stats are as follows: 10.7 PPG, 7.7 APG, 4.1 RPG, 2.3 SPG. Pretty impressive right? Yes. But we need to analyse the situation a little more closely. Ricky is a gifted passer and he knows it. So gifted that he’s been compared to Pete Maravich. So gifted, that he can’t wait to pass. But that might be a good thing after all. His field goal percentage is a sub-par .357.

Defensive Spacing

One key aspect that Ricky needs to improve on is Defensive Spacing. He really, REALLY needs to improve his footwork. Most of his steals come from intercepting passing lanes. He’s good at forcing on-ball steals, but lacks the footwork required for it. Hence, he sags of the defender and hopes that this will guise his sub-par footwork (After the Kobe Bryant incident, one can’t really blame him). What Ricky has failed to understand so far is that, in the NBA, point-guards shoot well too. Sag off of them and they’ll just rise up and pop it right over you for a 3-pointer. Or pass out of shot and set up assists. Or at the very least, drive into the paint, all of which negate his reason for doing this.

Here’s a really good example of just how much he needs to improve his defensive spacing:

Another aspect Ricky needs to focus on is fighting screens. More often than not, he goes under screens. Or he tries to switch over while his teammate doesn’t or vice-versa. This has led to more scoring or driving opportunities for his opponents. This is particularly destructive for Ricky’s defense against elite point guards like Derrick Rose, Chris Paul, Rajon Rondo, Tony Parker or Deron Williams. If he improves these two aspects, there’s a fairly good chance his defense will be solid.

Turnovers

Nobody questions his passing ability. However, it looks like they come at a cost. Ricky’s been averaging 7.7 APG and 3.1 TPG. This is a huge backlash preventing him from having the desired impact on the game. The assist/turnover ratio, the conventional ratio for determining how efficiently a player can run the offense will throw some more light into this matter. Ricky ranks 29th in the league in assist to turnover ratio, behind only LeBron James. Not exactly the right position a potential rising star would like to see himself in. This can also be cut down if he goes for direct, simple passes more often than fancy, between the legs, behind the back passes which have a higher probability of the orange ending up in the opponents hands.

Shooting

Ricky Rubio about to shoot.

His shooting needs a lot of work too, if he has any hope of becoming an offensive, scoring threat and not merely a passer. Ricky’s main problem is that he’s too quick in rising up, in case of jumpers. As mentioned before, his footwork needs more focus. He shuffles across, jumps up way too fast, but due to sub-par footwork, is unable to find enough balance to sink the ball. Also, he needs to work on his follow-through. His follow-through is such that he releases the ball late. This results in the ball bouncing of the front of the rim. Ironic, quick to jump, late to release.

He also needs to improve his 3-point shooting. He shoots at .317 percent from behind the arc. His combined shooting efficiency is just .391. Remember, shooting efficiency takes field goals, 3 pointers and free throws into account. Improving his shooting will make him twice as dangerous to his opponents. They sag off, he can shoot over them or drive. They smother him, he can dribble past them. This will make his game multi-dimensional.

Verdict

Minnesota Timberwolves’ Ricky Rubio

He’s a crafty passer, a delightful ball handler. He has the potential. He has the ability. He also needs a lot of work to achieve his complete potential. Will he work to the required amount on the required aspects of his game? Will he do so and become one of the true elite point-guards of the league in the near future? We’ll have to wait for the next season to know the answer.