Can Ricky Rubio Play In The NBA?

Can Ricky Rubio play in the NBA?

This is a topic of discussion that I never really thought about until a week ago.

It just occurred to me that even though he's a freak of nature passer, there are a lot of people that think that Ricky Rubio will be a bust.

While anything is possible, I'm here to inform you that that's highly unlikely.

And there's a big possibility that he will become an elite point guard in the NBA in five years or less.

Ricky Rubio has been overseas playing against the best of the best in their respective countries, and I'm here to offer an analysis on him.

I will start with the negatives:

1. Strength: Ricky Rubio is frail. Right now he does not have the physical strength to retain durability in the NBA. Although it does seem as if he's put on maybe five pounds of muscle since last year, he will have to put on more muscle before coming to the NBA.

2. Shooting Form: Yes, I said shooting form. It has occurred to me that Ricky Rubio is not a bad shooter whatsoever. He just doesn't shoot that much.

But when he does, it's always a smart shot, and he's shot very high percentages (42 percent from three-point line).

His form is sort of a jumper without jumping, but when he does shoot, the ball gets plenty of rotation. He does jump when he shoots the ball off the dribble though.

He will have to work on his shooting mechanics to make the jump to the NBA. But that's not to say that it cannot work as is. Just look at Jason Kidd and Shawn Marion.

Verbal Leadership: Although Rubio leads by making sure that everyone is involved in the game, his verbal leadership leaves a lot to be desired.

He will also have a huge cultural change to deal with.

Being a point guard, he cannot be a silent leader like Tim Duncan. He has to be verbal with his teammates. But he does not know the English language like his teammates will, although he is pretty fluent.

Now with the positives:

Speed and Quickness:  This might come as a surprise. It was to me until I saw it with my own eyes. Ricky Rubio is very speedy and very quick, it's just that most of the time he does not need to be.

I've seen some plays where he can completely outrun his opponents, and display some quickness. Trust me, he's no Tony Parker, but he's no slouch whatsoever.

Passing: Incredible, absolutely incredible. At the age of 18, he has a great court vision that will surprise even NBA players. A lot of players, even Kobe Bryant has said that he's way better than he was at that age.

As a passer, Ricky Rubio has been referred to as "possibly the best passer of the decade" by ESPN analysts. Although I cannot say that for sure, he's hands down the best passer in the draft.

Basketball I.Q: Along with his passing ability, he has an enormous basketball I.Q. It's been stated that Ricky Rubio see's the play two or three steps ahead. He takes all smart shots, and usually makes the right decision's with his passes.

Youth: In four years, he'll be 22. That says it all.

Ball Handling: This guy can school you on a behind the back dribble from any angle, anywhere, anytime. He can cross you and cut through two defenders with his pin-point ball handling.

Size: At the age of 18, he already stands at 6'4''. He could end up being 6'5'', meaning trouble for other point guards. He's going to be very tough to defend, and very tough to get by with his freakish long wingspan.

Defense: Once again, his size helps, but he's no slouch when it comes to stealing. Rubio can become the perfect example of a "pure defender."

In 22 minutes per game, Rubio averaged two steals per game. With Rubio's size, he can get a few blocks if he works at it, and he can shut other point guards down.

Growing Maturity: It has been stated that Rubio did not want to play for Minnesota for various reasons, mainly the market and the weather. Rubio himself revealed that when he finally learned about the franchise, he fell in love with it, and is now pushing to play in the NBA.

His positives outweigh the negatives, but then again, that does not validate his ability to play in the NBA.

How can a guy that only averages 10 points and six assists over in the Euroleague possibly come over here and do the same? The competition is way better over here, which is why many Spanish players do not make it to the NBA and succeed.

So what separates Ricky Rubio from other Spanish players?

Rubio is a point guard. The European game is a big man's game, which is why you see a lot of European league Spanish players come over to the NBA (Gasol brothers, Darko Milicic, Nesterovich, Radmonovich, etc..).

This is why a point guard can average six assists in the Euroleague, and be considered the best point guard in the league.

There's another Spanish point guard who has come into his own in the NBA and his name is Jose Calderon.

Jose Calderon has solidified his status as an upcoming elite point guard in the league, so there's no reason why another Spanish point guard (Ricky Rubio) cannot do the same.

Ricky Rubio played in the Olympics against the very best of the NBA. Going against the likes of Jason Kidd, Chris Paul, and Deron Williams Rubio had six points, six rebounds, three assists, and three steals.

One thing that you can take from watching any part of that footage is that when Rubio has REAL competition, he plays harder.

He appears to be a player that plays better as his competition get's harder. It's funny because his stats don't jump out at you, but the way he plays does.

It's uncanny, but when you see Ricky Rubio playing against the USA, he does not look out of place at all, and in fact, he looks like he belongs with them.

Ricky Rubio vs Euroleague

I never actually realized it, but have you really just watched him play against his opponents? He doesn't exactly score much, and he only averaged 20 minutes a game. But doesn't it seem like he's not even trying?

It looks like he's just playing at medium speed, with medium intensity compared to the footage of going against team USA.

When you look at Rubio, it just seems like he's in a class of his own. He averaged two turnovers, but when you watch some footage or any link of his games overseas, sometimes it's not his fault that he gets a turnover.

Plenty of times I've seen Rubio give a sick pass to somebody and the teammate completely misses the pass. In the NBA, that won't happen.

I have seen Ricky Rubio drive against a team that is giving him a fair fight, and he will really show some speed, flare and aggression. Whereas when his team is winning by a lot, he settles for his patented alley oop lobs that are perfect every single time.

Conclusion

I honestly think that increasing the competition, and getting the minutes that every rookie needs in the NBA can actually make Ricky Rubio the player that we expect.

People say that the level of competition in the NBA is higher than the Euroleague. And although some Spanish players that enter the draft don't dominate witht their stats, it just seems like if Ricky Rubio comes to the NBA, he'll be well aware of who's he's going against and that he must bring it every night.

If a 17-year-old kid can get six points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals against the very best of the NBA, then why can't he do it against a regular NBA team?

I'm not using the Olympics to justify his readiness in the NBA, but it just seems to me that he can play over here with regular rookie problems, and possibly be a "sure thing" point guard.

Although it will take some work just like any rookie in the NBA, I am happy to know that there's a low chance of Ricky Rubio busting.

So can Ricky Rubio play in the NBA? Yes, and that's that.

Quotes

Chris Paul on Ricky Rubio:

"It's crazy what he's already done. I am 23 and I think in the things I've done, but he is only 17, it's crazy! He has already been in the Olympics. I've played three years in college and three years in the NBA before going to the Olympics. He will come to the NBA to steal my job."

"When I met Ricky on the court, I knew he had very long arms and I couldn't play much with the ball or he would steal it from me. He is also very unselfish, he has great passing skills. He is like me, we don't try to score, and we try to find the open man to help the team."