Why Ricky Rubio Is the Flashiest Player in the NBA

When you think of the "flashiest players" in the NBA, there are certain players that come to mind: Derrick Rose, Dwyane "Flash" Wade and LeBron James are all obvious examples. In that sense of the word, Ricky Rubio is not the flashiest player. Still, you can make the argument using a different criteria.

He's just flashy in a different sort of way. I don't recall who said it but one TV commentator described in this way, "He's a shot maker without being the shot taker." 

That's how he's flashy. He doesn't have to take shots to make shots.

I know what you're thinking, "Ease back on the medication Kelly." 

Allow me the latitude to explain what I'm saying though. Rubio makes shots appear, seemingly out of thin air, for his teammates. 

Rubio has such a high basketball IQ that he consistently makes dribbles that create shots for his teammates. He'll use defenses against the team that is defending. 

One particular play that comes to mind is from the game against the Chicago Bulls. Rubio went around John Lucas III, and as Taj Gibson came up to stop the penetration, he fed Kevin Love with a left-handed pass to the wide open lane which led to an easy field goal.

It was clear that Rubio was penetrating to create the shot for Love in the first place, not to make a shot for himself. 

Rubio uses his dribble to move players around on the court like chess pieces. He seems to be three moves ahead of everyone else. It's just brilliant. 

Rubio is flashy in the sense that he makes everyone around him flashy. In the blink of an eye, shots appear from nowhere, i.e in a flash. The rest might have the athleticism on him, but he has a way of leaving his own kind of imprint on the game.