Ricky Rubio Will Never Be an All-Star Player in the NBA
In today's world of professional sports, hype is seemingly everywhere.
A major group of players subjected to hype are those entering the professional ranks as soon-to-be rookies.
One of the most hyped-up NBA draft selections from the past few seasons is Ricky Rubio. Rubio, the point guard selected fifth overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2009, had been compared to players like Steve Nash and Rajon Rondo. Since as early as 2007, the Spaniard was labeled by some basketball analysts as an exciting prospect who could one day turn into a superstar.
Rubio elected to stay overseas during the past two seasons, but he has recently made his way into the United States to begin his NBA career. Timberwolves fans, cheerleaders and general manager David Kahn eagerly greeted the 20-year-old once he arrived in the airport, helping cement the high expectations and hype he'll have to live up to.
In 2010-2011, Rubio played for Regal Barcelona in the Euroleague. His statistics weren't anything special—6.5 points, 3.5 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game while shooting 39.2 percent from the floor (22.4 percent from three-point range)—but there were some flashes where he looked like a player who could one day live up to all the hype. Still, his high points were only flashes, as he was plagued by consistent inconsistency.
Rubio struggled in the recently culminated Eurobasket Tournament. While he was surrounded by some tremendous talent—the Gasol brothers, Serge Ibaka, Rudy Fernandez and tournament MVP Juan Carlos Navarro—and was playing on arguably the world's second-best international team (behind the United States), Rubio only averaged 1.5 points (on 23 percent shooting from the floor), 2.1 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game. He was outshined by his fellow Spanish point guard and current Toronto Raptor, Jose Calderon, in a big way.
It's true the international brand of basketball has some stark contrasts to its American counterpart. Spacing is much less, defensive intensity is much more and team orientation on offense is heavily favored over individual dominance. Still, it's got to be a bit concerning to Minnesota fans and David Kahn—whose decision it was to draft Rubio over other prospects like Stephen Curry, DeMar DeRozan and Brandon Jennings—that a player who's been branded by some as a franchise savior has struggled against competition that's not as talented as the NBA's.
It will be interesting to see how long of an adjustment period the Timberwolves fans and organization give Rubio before questioning whether or not he should be a part of their future plans. While he'll be a rookie at the start of next season, it's possible that fans will view him more as a third-year player who better start excelling sooner rather than later. Management could be more patient than fans, but it's possible that they may give up on Rubio if he isn't meeting expectations—possibly using him as trade bait for another team who might be intrigued by his potential.
The NBA is a professional league with a bevy of solid point guards. It's pretty remarkable that guys like Darren Collison, Baron Davis and Kyle Lowry are arguably among the league's 10 or 12 worst starting point guards. In order for Rubio to make an All-Star squad, he'll have to be a full-time starting point guard. With the league's currently substantial amount of good point guards—both starters and those who come off the bench—and future prospects who'll soon make their way onto the big stage, Rubio will have to prove he belongs soon or risk becoming a career role or bench player. Fortunately for Rubio fans, he shouldn't have too difficult of a time beating out Luke Ridnour in Minnesota.
Ricky Rubio has got his whole NBA career ahead of him. He could end up as a forgotten bench player who never lived up to his billing, a superstar point guard who proved his doubters wrong or somewhere in between. Regardless of what happens, his work is cut out for him.
Good luck Mr. Rubio, I do believe you'll need it.
