Ricky Rubio: How Can Anybody Think That He Will Be an NBA Superstar?

Ricky Rubio's play at the 2011 Eurobasket tournament can be described in one word: troubling.

Throughout the action, Rubio has served as the clear backup to Jose Calderon. Despite playing in a reserve role, Rubio has still managed to accumulate 102 minutes of play through the team's first six contests.

Here is what the once-promising point guard has managed to achieve:

Four-of-18 shooting (22.2 percent), nine points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists, 10 steals, four turnovers.

"Troubling" may be a generous way to describe his play at this point.

Rubio has looked downright awful in the tournament at almost every moment. Granted, Rubio has flashed some serious potential for short bursts at a time, he has not resembled anything like the player that the Timberwolves were hoping for when the team spent its fifth overall selection on him in 2009.

When David Kahn pulled the trigger on the Rubio selection, he was making a rather large investment in the point guard's future.

At this point, the kid once considered a can't-miss prospect is suddenly looking like a giant misfire for a team that's banking on him to contribute.

While statistics only help to tell a piece of the story, Rubio's presence on the court has been lifeless. He looks nothing like a kid capable of penetrating through the lane, facilitating the flow of an NBA offense.

Instead, he looks hesitant and unwilling to make a committed decision as to what to do with the ball. That's not a good look for a point guard that's considered to have a pass-first mentality.

For those that are expecting Rubio to come into the NBA and immediately pick up the NBA game with a seamless transition, that outlook is extraordinarily optimistic.

The international style of basketball is different than the one played stateside. And Rubio won't be allowed to hand-check in the same manner in which he's become accustomed to doing.

Additionally, Rubio's perimeter game is non-existent. Without a reliable jumper, the opposition can sag off of the guard and force him to make bad decisions with the ball. He is not a scoring threat at all, and his inability to really contribute in that manner could very well cripple Minnesota's offensive approach.

Now 20 years old (21 in October), it sounds rather odd to call Rubio a veteran, but that's exactly what he is. He has played professionally in Spain since 2005 when he was just 15 years old, and Rubio's first season with the Timberwolves will actually be his seventh season.

Rubio isn't a slam dunk to achieve NBA stardom at any point in his career, and even if he does eventually evolve into a better than average player, the term star should be reserved for those that really exemplify how to play the game with consistent success.

In describing what to expect from Rubio during his transition to the T-Wolves and the NBA, often I point back to Rajon Rondo's rookie season with the Celtics. Here are Rondo's averages from that season: 6.4 ppg, 3.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.6 steals, 1.8 turnovers, 41.8 percent from the field in 78 games.

Those numbers are not exactly scintillating.

Don't let the comparison trip you up—Rubio is no Rondo.

Rondo has used his athleticism to a competitive advantage above the opposition, as he has the ability to really blow by any defender that challenges him from the perimeter. Rubio doesn't have that.

A less athletic version of Rondo, Rubio is going to really struggle against the bigger opposition he's going to face in the league. At less than 200 lbs. and with a rather thin frame, Rubio is going to get eaten alive by physical point guards paired against him.

As a former international phenom, Rubio has struggled against inferior competition at the Eurobasket tournament.

He's still got immense potential as a playmaker, and if he can round his game out to fit the NBA's style of play, there is a scenario where he could potentially find success.

This kid is supposed to be the point guard of the future for a Minnesota franchise that's hoping to climb out of the cellar in the very near future.

That's an awful lot of pressure to put on his frail shoulders before he's ever played a single minute in the NBA, and I'm not sold that his frame is going to support the weight.