Ricky Rubio: T-Wolves' PG Must Regain Focus to Escape Season's Struggle

Ricky Rubio is in the news, but not for his play.

The point guard came out in defense of his countryman Pau Gasol, who is struggling for the Los Angeles Lakers.

As Rubio told reporters:

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"[Gasol] proved to the league he is one of the best," Rubio told reporters in Minneapolis. "He can pass. He can shoot. He can rebound. He can do a lot of things. I think if you use him in the right way, he is a top player in this league. If they don't want him, we are more than welcome to get him."

 

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Gasol has been a bench player for the Lakers and it's been a disappointing season all around for the Spaniard. He's averaging nearly 13 points and eight rebounds a game for the underachieving Lakers.

While it's understandable that Rubio wants to come to the aid of his friend and fellow Spaniard, Rubio has his own struggles to worry about.

One of those struggles is the fact that he's simply not playing well. 

In 17 games, Rubio is averaging 5.1 points and 5.2 assists per game.

For perspective, last season Rubio averaged 10.6 points and 8.2 assists per game.

Ever since Rubio's return, the Wolves have struggled. They've gone 4-13 since his season debut.

Instead of thinking about Pau Gasol's troubles, Rubio needs to think about his own. He needs to think about why his assist numbers are down and why he's shooting an abysmal .063 percent from three.

He needs to think about why the Wolves have struggled in his return and why the team has won 13 games without him, but only four with him.

These are serious questions and it's a time of reflection for the young player. Rubio took the league by storm last season, but he has not been able to do the same this year.

Instead of focusing his energy on Gasol, he needs to focus on himself. He can't worry about the struggles of the Lakers; he needs to worry about the struggles of the Wolves.

When Rubio is back on his game, then he can talk. Until then, it'd be best for him to keep his mouth shut while he searches for a game that's gone terribly wrong.