Ricky Rubio: Grading His Extension with Minnesota

What grade do the Minnesota Timberwolves and Ricky Rubio get for their new contract extension?

The Minnesota Timberwolves were finally able to get a long-term extension done with franchise point guard Ricky Rubio, and they did it just in time with the NBA’s extension deadline pressing them. According to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, the deal is worth $55 million over four years. That deal begs the question of what grade Minnesota should receive for the new deal with Rubio.

Quite simply, there are plenty of factors to keep an eye on that are all up to Rubio to prove his worth. He hasn’t been the most consistent scorer throughout his career, and he will need to pick that area of his game up. His passing has continued to be what they expected from him when they selected him in the draft, and that will be a major key moving forward with a young, athletic team.

Take a look at Rubio’s numbers from last season with the Timberwolves:

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/2/2014.

Needless to say, they need to pick up now that he has received this pricey extension. His assist numbers aren’t bad at all, but the scoring inconsistency that he has had is a bit concerning. Now that they have moved on from superstar power forward Kevin Love, they will need Rubio to become a much better and more aggressive scorer.

So far this season in three games, Rubio has averaged 9.7 points, 10.7 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game. Those numbers aren’t terrible, but the scoring still hasn’t been there. He has shot just 37.5 percent from the floor overall and hasn’t even attempted a three-point shot.

Rubio has never been the most aggressive scorer, but it hasn’t appeared that he has seriously worked on that aspect of his game either. His first and second seasons in the NBA, he averaged 10.6 and 10.7 points per game respectively. Even in those years that he averaged double digits, he shot just 35.7 and 36.0 percent from the floor.

Here are Rubio’s numbers as far as shooting from different distances and how inconsistent he has been from everywhere on the floor:

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/2/2014.

Obviously the shooting ability isn’t there, and that is a major concern with Rubio already being in his fourth season. His passing can be among the best in the game, but if he isn’t able to score he won’t be able to step up and be the leader that Minnesota needs him to be.

Minnesota has a very talented roster with Andrew Wiggins, Nikola Pekovic, Zach LaVine, Anthony Bennett, Shabazz Muhammad, and Rubio on board. They should be on the fast track to getting back in contention, but someone needs to step into that leadership role. That person needs to be the point guard, and Rubio has to figure things out and step up into that role.

All of that being said, the Timberwolves made a solid deal with their franchise point guard and they are confident that he will get things together. There is no denying the potential that he possesses, but they need him to realize it and work towards it. If he can improve his offense to averaging around 14-15 points per game, he will be a complete player and will be the legitimate franchise point guard that he needs to be.

Ricky Rubio Extension Grade: B