Minnesota Timberwolves: Ricky Rubio’s First Triple-Double A Sign Of Things To Come
Rubio’s only 180 triple-doubles behind the Big O. Photo Credit: Joe Bielawa, Flickr.com
As the Minnesota Timberwolves inched closer to .500 at home with a 107-83 thrashing of the San Antonio Spurs, Ricky Rubio basked in the glow of his first NBA triple-double. Rubio finished with 21 points, 13 rebounds, 12 assists and one block to get within 180 of Oscar Robertson‘s all-time mark.
All kidding aside, Rubio was his usual self, dazzling the crowd with great court vision, while making coaches nervous every time he threw the ball towards the rim.
Rubio appears to be fully healthy for the first time since returning from his ACL injury on December 15, 2012 against the Dallas Mavericks. In fact, over Rubio’s last 17 games, he’s averaging 13.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 9.4 assists and 2.9 steals per game. We’ll give him a pass for that ghastly 37.5 percent shooting.
Although this was Rubio’s first triple-double, he’s been close six other times. Take a look at some of his near-misses:
| Rk | Date | Opp | MP | FG% | 3P% | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2012-01-30 | HOU | 38 | .600 | .667 | 1.000 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 18 |
| 2 | 2013-02-13 | UTA | 40 | .231 | .000 | .923 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 18 |
| 3 | 2013-02-24 | GSW | 39 | .300 | .000 | .909 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 16 |
| 4 | 2013-02-28 | LAL | 33 | .455 | .333 | 1.000 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 13 |
| 5 | 2013-03-02 | POR | 38 | .300 | .000 | 1.000 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 12 |
| 6 | 2012-01-16 | SAC | 38 | .300 | .333 | 1.000 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 9 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/13/2013.
It feels like just a matter of time before Rubio flirts with a quadruple-double. Yes, getting 10 steals in a game is nearly impossible and Rubio has only recorded six steals or more five times. However, Rubio is getting better and better at getting into the passing lanes. His hands are superb and if there’s anyone who could catch lightning in a bottle, it’s Ricky.
This shouldn’t surprise anyone. Although Rubio has only played in 77 career games, he’s already got a highlight reel that rivals the best in the NBA. Take a look at this video of his greatest dimes and realize that these were only from his rookie season.
We can’t call Rubio the second-coming of Robertson or Kidd just yet, but the seeds are being planted. If he stays healthy, it will be sooner rather than later that he notches triple-double number two.
As far as that quadruple-double is concerned? That might take a while.