Utah Jazz: 2017-18 player grades for Ricky Rubio

Strengths

Even though he didn’t show it as often this year, passing was still Rubio’s greatest strength. Quin Snyder’s motion-heavy offense repressed Rubio’s playmaking skills a bit, as his assists per game, assist rate, and passes per game totals all took significant dives.

Still, he led the Jazz in assists with 5.3 per game and averaged 10.5 potential assists. Snyder’s schemes may have asked Rubio to make fewer plays, but he often showed that his sorcery hasn’t eroded.

Of course, it’s easier to collect assists if you’re a threat to score. While Rubio didn’t transform into the second coming of Stephen Curry, he did up his 3-point percentage to a career-best 35.2 percent, thanks primarily to his improved shooting from the corner (41 percent) and on catch-and-shoot chances (37.6 percent). Opposing defenders had to respect Rubio a little more as a perimeter threat, which opened up scoring opportunities for his teammates.

Speaking of defense, Rubio bounced back nicely on that end as well. He upped his defensive win shares to a career-high 3.8 — much better than his 1.7 DWS last year in two fewer games. He also bumped up his defensive box plus/minus to 1.6 after finishing with a -0.9 in Minnesota the year before.

While he wasn’t as productive in the starting role as George Hill was a season ago, Rubio flashed all the skills that made him a highly touted prospect nearly a decade ago.