Ricky Rubio Worth Every Penny of New Deal
Since entering the NBA in 2011, few players have become as polarizing as Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio. Despite being one of the most productive players at his position, his lackluster scoring has counteracted all that is positive in the public eye.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, the Timberwolves saw through the under-appreciation by signing Rubio to an extension.
No matter what you hear elsewhere, Rubio earned his new deal.
For as mercurial as his scoring inefficiency makes him, Rubio is the real deal. He’s not only a dynamic playmaker, but the type of point guard who a team can consider a legitimate franchise building block.
Rubio is worth every penny.
Better With Rubio
Ricky Rubio, 24, was selected No. 5 overall in the 2009 NBA Draft. After spending two years overseas, the Spaniard finally joined the Timberwolves in 2011-12 and immediately developed a phenomenal chemistry with then franchise player Kevin Love.
In the midst of an excellent rookie season, Rubio tore his ACL. His loss was not only dearly missed, but it proved just how valuable he was to the team.
In 41 games with Rubio, Minnesota went 21-20. In 25 games without him, it went 5-20.
That trend has continued throughout Rubio’s brief NBA career.
With Rubio active for a full 82-game season in 2013-14, the Timberwolves ranked No. 10 in offensive efficiency and No. 3 in points per game. Rubio’s facilitating and general playmaking served as a major factor in that success.
Rubio had a net rating of plus-7.2 during the 2013-14, with Minnesota at plus-3.0 with him on the court and minus-4.2 without him.
To give Rubio full credit would be flawed and inaccurate, especially with the way Love shouldered the scoring load. Love was not only the team’s primary post player, but a superb outside shooter who could break any defense.
While we were busy praising Love, however, we missed out on an elite start to Rubio’s career. Yes, elite.
All-World Production
It’s no secret that Ricky Rubio has trouble putting the ball in the hoop. His shot chart is more like a horror story, and his slash line is closer to frightening than it is encouraging.
Just don’t sleep on the rest of his game.
In 2013-14, Rubio posted averages of 9.5 points, 8.6 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game. Rubio was No. 4 in assists and No. 2 behind just Chris Paul in steals per contest.
Not only was Rubio superb at dishing out assists, but he excelled in setting up his teammates with passes that didn’t show up in the box score.
As for those who believe Rubio’s ball-hawking doesn’t represent elite defensive play, you’re mistaken.
Crickets.
On top of being one of the best facilitators and steal maestros in the league, he’s producing at an all-time pace.
That’s nice company; Hall of Fame company.
Scoring weaknesses aside, it’s clear that Rubio is one of the best point guards in the NBA. He thrives as a facilitator, dominates as a defender and crashes the boards as well as any player at his position.
Rubio was No. 5 amongst point guards in rebounds and offensive rebounds per game.
His inefficiency is hard to overlook, but Rubio is elite in every single category besides scoring. That’s extraordinary value at the point guard position, especially in a league where score-first point guards haven’t often garnered championship success.
Improving his scoring ability is a must, but even at the present moment, Rubio is one of the best pure point guards in the league.
Facilitating the Youth Movement
Despite trading franchise player Kevin Love, the Minnesota Timberwolves have a brighter future than ever before. With a pair of No. 1 overall draft picks, a cast of explosive athletes, promising players at every position and high-quality veterans, the upside is remarkable in Minnesota.
Someone needs to facilitate the youth movement. That someone is Ricky Rubio.
The rookies on the T-Wolves’ roster include No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins, sharpshooting dunk artist Zach LaVine and two-way swingman Glenn Robinson III. Second-year player Anthony Bennett was selected No. 1 overall in 2013 and Gorgui Dieng was one of the most pleasant surprises of 2013-14.
Dieng averaged 8.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 22.7 minutes after the 2014 All-Star Break and dominated the 2014 FIBA World Cup.
Along with the young guns are sharpshooter Kevin Martin, low-post monster Nikola Pekovic and do-it-all forward Thaddeus Young. Every one of those players averaged at least 17.5 points per game.
Young was also No. 3 in the NBA in steals per contest, trailing only Chris Paul and, you guessed it, Rubio.
Second-year forward Shabazz Muhammad, rim protecting big man Ronny Turiaf and playmaking lead guard Mo Williams round out the supporting cast. They also establish just how much talent there is in Minnesota.
For all that Minnesota possesses to come together, a playmaker must step up to facilitate the offense and lead the defense. Rubio qualifies in both regards.
As young players such as Bennett, Dieng, LaVine, Muhammad, Robinson III and Wiggins gain NBA experience and develop their skills, having a facilitator of Rubio’s caliber is vital. Not only will he put them in positions to score, but Rubio will help the players maximize their strengths and minimize their weaknesses.
The same can be said for veterans such as Martin, Pekovic and Williams, as well as the rising star Young.
Whether or not you believe Rubio is a star in his own right, he’ll be the most important player on Minnesota’s roster for the next few seasons. He’ll be responsible for developing the younger players as the distributor who controls the pace of the offense.
At the end of his four-year deal, the Timberwolves will then determine if Rubio truly is a franchise player. Until that day comes, investing in Rubio as the player responsible for facilitating the development of its future was the right thing to do.
Rubio was worth every penny.