Seriously, How good is Ricky Rubio?

[GreenWarrior]

I was trying to catch up on any Love news and over at Twolves SBnation board and most there seem to be ok with moving on from Love and just want it to be over with at this point(can't blame 'em).

but I was surprised to see and hear that these guys are happy and glad to be building around Rubio.

I admit the only time I've seen Rubio play was one time against the C's but I don't remember being impressed and certainly don't remember thinking of him as a guy to build around.

and from listening to the experts I never got the sense he was that kind of guy. anyone see anything in this guy? or are the Twolves just lowering their standards?

[MasterEmile]

He sucks.

Rubio is a very "skilled" player he can have so many flashy passes and highlight plays, and he's a pretty solid defender. You can trust him to get the ball up the court and pass the ball. But the dude really can't score at all, doesn't really run the offense, doesn't give his teamates open shots and is very turnover prone from all his attempts at flashy plays.
He's basically Manu Ginobly without any scoring ability and with all the flashy plays leading in some cases to very bad turnovers.

[Jailan34]

What I know about Rubio comes from TWolves fans who are obviously very bias and overrate their own players even more than we do. They constantly refer to him as the "best passer in the league" and as MasterEmile said they are very happy to be building around him.

This kind of homerism sounds kind of silly when it's coming from other fans doesn't it?

[RyNye]

He is a poor man's Rondo. Seriously. He's a good passer (but not quite as good as Rondo in terms of assists per 36 or assist/turnover ratio) and a good rebounder for a point guard (but, again, not quite as good as Rondo in terms of rebounds per 36). He's an above average defender; he is better at getting steals than Rondo, but not as solid in his rotations (and fouls a bit too much).

In terms of scoring ability, Rubio is what all of the Rondo-haters THINK Rondo is like. I mean, everyone gives Rondo crap for not being a good scorer, but when you actually look at his shooting numbers he is great. Not a 3 point threat, and puzzingly bad from the line, but overall an above average scorer. Rubio, however, is coming off of what is arguably the worst shooting season for an NBA starter ever. He is atrocious. His effective field goal percentage is 38%!

So, basically, Rubio is just the mediocre version of Rondo.

[AngryAndIrritable]

I'm amazed any NBA team has a starting PG with such an inability to put the ball in the basket. He must be the worst starting PG in this regard in the NBA... if there's one worse, I can't think of who it is.

[colincb]

He is a poor man's Rondo. Seriously. He's a good passer (but not quite as good as Rondo in terms of assists per 36 or assist/turnover ratio) and a good rebounder for a point guard (but, again, not quite as good as Rondo in terms of rebounds per 36). He's an above average defender; he is better at getting steals than Rondo, but not as solid in his rotations (and fouls a bit too much).

In terms of scoring ability, Rubio is what all of the Rondo-haters THINK Rondo is like. I mean, everyone gives Rondo crap for not being a good scorer, but when you actually look at his shooting numbers he is great. Not a 3 point threat, and puzzingly bad from the line, but overall an above average scorer. Rubio, however, is coming off of what is arguably the worst shooting season for an NBA starter ever. He is atrocious. His effective field goal percentage is 38%!

So, basically, Rubio is just the mediocre version of Rondo.

This and he disappears at the end of games too and the Wolves lost a lot a close games at the end.  He was suppose to be the second star to Love and he's not except for marketing purposes.  Bad foundation to build on.

[RyNye]

I'm amazed any NBA team has a starting PG with such an inability to put the ball in the basket. He must be the worst starting PG in this regard in the NBA... if there's one worse, I can't think of who it is.

Brandon Jennings. Although Rubio was pretty awful, Jennings I think really takes the brick cake.

Compare their numbers:

Jennings: 37.3% FG / 33.7% 3P / 75.1% FT / 48.6% TS / 15 FGA per 36 / 6 3PA per 36 / 1.09 PPS
Rubio: 38.1% FG / 33.1% 3P / 80.2% FT / 49.1% TS / 9 FGA per 36 / 2 3PA per 36 / 1.17 PPS

For comparison, here are the league averages for all point guards in the NBA:

42.7% FG / 35.6% 3P / 81% FT / 52.9% TS / 12.8 FGA per 36 / 4 3PA per 36 / 1.18 PPS

[MISSERY]

before the injury rubio was great, Minnesota and rubio need a good coach and a guidance from a hall of famers PG,
put rubio as heat starting PG, i think he will be motivated to win a championship trophy and ring

[D.o.s.]

He is a poor man's Rondo. Seriously. He's a good passer (but not quite as good as Rondo in terms of assists per 36 or assist/turnover ratio) and a good rebounder for a point guard (but, again, not quite as good as Rondo in terms of rebounds per 36). He's an above average defender; he is better at getting steals than Rondo, but not as solid in his rotations (and fouls a bit too much).

In terms of scoring ability, Rubio is what all of the Rondo-haters THINK Rondo is like. I mean, everyone gives Rondo crap for not being a good scorer, but when you actually look at his shooting numbers he is great. Not a 3 point threat, and puzzingly bad from the line, but overall an above average scorer. Rubio, however, is coming off of what is arguably the worst shooting season for an NBA starter ever. He is atrocious. His effective field goal percentage is 38%!

So, basically, Rubio is just the mediocre version of Rondo.

While I agree with this, I think that this pays lip service to the fact that when he's playing well (and with good teammates) Rubio is one of the most entertaining and imaginative offensive players in the NBA.

[MISSERY]

He is a poor man's Rondo. Seriously. He's a good passer (but not quite as good as Rondo in terms of assists per 36 or assist/turnover ratio) and a good rebounder for a point guard (but, again, not quite as good as Rondo in terms of rebounds per 36). He's an above average defender; he is better at getting steals than Rondo, but not as solid in his rotations (and fouls a bit too much).

In terms of scoring ability, Rubio is what all of the Rondo-haters THINK Rondo is like. I mean, everyone gives Rondo crap for not being a good scorer, but when you actually look at his shooting numbers he is great. Not a 3 point threat, and puzzingly bad from the line, but overall an above average scorer. Rubio, however, is coming off of what is arguably the worst shooting season for an NBA starter ever. He is atrocious. His effective field goal percentage is 38%!

So, basically, Rubio is just the mediocre version of Rondo.

While I agree with this, I think that this pays lip service to the fact that when he's playing well (and with good teammates) Rubio is one of the most entertaining and imaginative offensive players in the NBA.

i'll take rubio over cole chalmer felton jack brooks lin

[RyNye]

While I agree with this, I think that this pays lip service to the fact that when he's playing well (and with good teammates) Rubio is one of the most entertaining and imaginative offensive players in the NBA.

A lot of people would agree with you, and it isn't an entirely unreasonable opinion to have.

Personally, I have never been a big fan of Rubio's game. He does have some good no-look passes every once in a while, but generally I find him more frustrating than enjoyable to watch, because of his flashes of talent surrounded by endless plays of awkward incompetence. For every beautiful pocket pass through the legs of a defender, there is a play where he picks up his dribble for no reason and just stands there awkwardly pump faking until meekly passing it to the nearest teammate.

Also, this is a side rant but I only just thought of it thinking about Rubio. Feel free to ignore this, this is just a vent at ESPN in general. There is a difference between a no-look pass and a look-away pass that ESPN just does not seem to understand. If Rubio or Lebron or whoever looks at player, then turns their head before passing the ball, that is NOT a no-look pass. It is a look-away pass. But they ALWAYS call it a no look pass in their highlight coverage. It drives me crazy. In general I'm not a fan of the look-away pass, although it has some utility in tricking defenders it is mostly just a way to try and turn an easy pass into a highlight pass. Real no-look passes are a lot more entertaining and special (my favorite being Rondo going in for a lay-up and in mid air swinging a no-look pass around a defender to Ray Allen for the elbow 3 pointer. Beautiful).

[D.o.s.]

You just hit one of my big pet peeves, actually. TP.

I will always take the highlight pass/dribble over the conventional one. Call me a disciple of Cousy.

[Celtics18]

He's only 23 years old, and has played three years in the league.  I think it's too early to completely write him off. 

He's starting to run short on time to live up to the hype, though. 

[Al91]

Felton, Jennings, and Rubio all have something in common.

They need pay-cuts, bench demotions, and time with a shooting coach. Seriously, all three have been overrated in their time and I myself overrated Felton after the trade FROM the Knicks and Rubio when he finally came to the NBA. Teams like the TWolves will never succeed with Rubio as their starting PG. A team like the TWolves needs a scorer at every position to try and keep up with the better teams in this league but Rubio is just not a scorer.