Utah Jazz: 2017-18 to be Ricky Rubio’s best season yet

Adding a 3-point shot

One thing Snyder may have mentioned to his new point guard over the summer is his need to develop a more consistent jumper. The NBA is becoming more and more of a shooters’ league, which doesn’t fit in with Rubio’s current skill-set.

A career 37 percent shooter from the field, Rubio bumped that number up to 40 percent last season but needs further improvement to become a real threat to opposing defenders. Considered “the worst shooter in modern NBA history” halfway through the 2015-16 season, the three percent increase can be seen as a stark improvement.

Where his focus needs to be, though, is on the perimeter. He’s well aware of his deficiencies in that area of his game and has made the effort to enhance is long range shooting over the summer.

Connecting on just 30 percent of his 2.6 attempts from beyond the arc last season, Rubio needs to add another four or five percent in 2017-18. He’s not going to replicate Hill’s 40 percent in 2016-17, but it’s a necessity that he at least closes the gap.

Players consistently going underneath screens limits his options in the pick-and-roll, but perimeter shooting changes that. He’s not a threat to defenders on the perimeter as it stands, but connecting on 35 percent would at least have them consider defending him. Defenders will then be forced to follow him rather than the roll man on a high screen, for example.

At the moment, he’s being left alone with the offer to shoot always left on the table by opposing guards. If Rubio can develop a competent 3-point shot, the paint opens up for his bigs in the post to go to work unhindered by sagging point guards.