Is Rubio the new J-Kidd/Rondo?

[LarBrd33]

Great passer... can't shoot... gets boards.

His numbers post-Allstar:  13.5 points, 8.5 assists, 5.6 rebounds, 3 steals... dreadful 39% shooting, but he's shot 80% from the line and a respectable 36% from three.

Dude is only 22. 

Pretty close to what Rondo averaged at 22:  11.9 points, 8.2 assists, 5.2 rebounds, 1.9 steals... 50% shooting, 31% from three, 64% from the line

Does Rubio have a high ceiling?  Still not 100% healthy.  Has some height for the position (6-4) ... his form seems fine.  Reasonable to think his shots will eventually start falling?

FYI, Kidd averaged 16.6 points, 9.7 assists, 6.8 rebounds, 2.2 steals... 38%/34%/69% at age 22, but he was getting about 4 more minutes than Rondo/Rubio.

[PhoSita]

Kidd seems like a better comparison considering size and shooting issues (whereas Rondo has always been much better getting to the rim / scoring in the paint than those guys).

Of course, Rubio has a long way to go before he impacts the game the way that Kidd did at his best.

[Boris Badenov]

Every time he shoots 7-12 from the field and 5-6 from 3 like he did last night, "WolvesConcourse" on the T-Wolves forum bumps the "Rubio - top 5 PG in 2 years" thread.

[ManUp]

Haven't watched enough of him to really say much about him as a player, but 80% from the line and 35% from three isn't bad. His jumper probably is broken it's more probable he struggles scoring against NBA level D.

[Boris Badenov]

Great passer... can't shoot... gets boards.

His numbers post-Allstar:  13.5 points, 8.5 assists, 5.6 rebounds, 3 steals... dreadful 39% shooting, but he's shot 80% from the line and a respectable 36% from three.

Dude is only 22. 

Pretty close to what Rondo averaged at 22:  11.9 points, 8.2 assists, 5.2 rebounds, 1.9 steals... 50% shooting, 31% from three, 64% from the line

Does Rubio have a high ceiling?  Still not 100% healthy.  Has some height for the position (6-4) ... his form seems fine.  Reasonable to think his shots will eventually start falling?

FYI, Kidd averaged 16.6 points, 9.7 assists, 6.8 rebounds, 2.2 steals... 38%/34%/69% at age 22, but he was getting about 4 more minutes than Rondo/Rubio.

It's hard to say. I don't think his form is that bad, and he seems to take pretty good shots. I can see him improving.

I don't think he's a physical defender the way Kidd was. More of a roamer.

He is like Rondo though in that he seems to have one or two jaw-dropping plays per game. He's fun to watch.

[timobusa]

Every time he shoots 7-12 from the field and 5-6 from 3 like he did last night, "WolvesConcourse" on the T-Wolves forum bumps the "Rubio - top 5 PG in 2 years" thread.

lol

[connor]

I love watching Rubio play. He is one of my favorite NBA players out there right now. He just has the ability to make some unbelievable passes.

I think he definitely has a high ceiling. He is only 22 and already has prolific assist ability, tremendous court vision and a very high basketball IQ. He is also fairly solid in terms of spot up threes (which he actually gets some good looks at because defenders hang off him at times due to his lack of shooting).

That being said his mid-range game is terrible and he doesn't attack the rim very well (drives and dishes, but not much of a finisher at the rack). The fact that he shoots well from the line is promising though. If he can work on being better at attacking the paint and finishing he will get to the line and do some damage that way.

Definitely has the ability to be an All-Star, but I think his lack of scoring ability is going to prevent him from ever getting to that next "superstar" level.

[CelticConcourse]

Rondo isn't really like Kidd in my opinion.

But Rubio is like Rondo (both RR9 too!)

[BballTim]

Great passer... can't shoot... gets boards.

His numbers post-Allstar:  13.5 points, 8.5 assists, 5.6 rebounds, 3 steals... dreadful 39% shooting, but he's shot 80% from the line and a respectable 36% from three.

Dude is only 22. 

Pretty close to what Rondo averaged at 22:  11.9 points, 8.2 assists, 5.2 rebounds, 1.9 steals... 50% shooting, 31% from three, 64% from the line

Does Rubio have a high ceiling?  Still not 100% healthy.  Has some height for the position (6-4) ... his form seems fine.  Reasonable to think his shots will eventually start falling?

FYI, Kidd averaged 16.6 points, 9.7 assists, 6.8 rebounds, 2.2 steals... 38%/34%/69% at age 22, but he was getting about 4 more minutes than Rondo/Rubio.

  Kind of a tough group to compare at 22. Kidd was a top 2 draft pick and should have been much more nba-ready than Rondo. Also his next 2 seasons (23 and 24) were 11-12 points a game and he was 27 or so before he had a playoff like Rondo's at 22. Rubio's not fully healthy this year but he's been playing pro ball for, what, 7 years or so? Hard to predict his ceiling based on this year's play.