Minnesota Timberwolves: What’s the deal with Ricky Rubio?
Maybe Ricky Rubio got tired of the rumors and wanted to set the record straight for the Minnesota Timberwolves and the fans that he’s a capable PG. Or, maybe he’s auditioning for his next team in case the Wolves finally decide to move him at the end of this year, Either way, Rubio is on a tear.
It’s not a Russell Westbrook or Isaiah “3o points” Thomas tear but, considering what he has done since joining the NBA, this is quite amazing.
For his career, Rubio has stayed in the shadows, not in terms of other players like John Wall or Damian Lillard but himself. It seems that Rubio was never ready for the speed and physical nature that awaited him as he was the young gun on the Spanish National team that NBA players were gunning for. When he first arrived it was to form the next John Stockton and Karl Malone pairing with he and Kevin Love but it never panned out that way. Now, Rubio is with a younger team but the Wolves have yet to live to their potential.
Until now.
However, it may be too late for the Wolves to make a playoff push as they sit 4 games out of the 8th spot but, never say never. With the way Rubio has played since the trade deadline the Wolves are thinking their lucky stars they didn’t make a move. Since February 23, Rubio has reached double digits in scoring in 9 of his last 10 games and has accumulated 10+ assists in 7 of his last 10. Those are starting PG stats he’s putting up. What’s better is that the Wolves have won 6 out of those 10 games to make a slight push.
So, what does this mean for Rubio moving forward?
His contract is up in 2019 but with the way he’s playing, is there a better option for them right now? Rubio still struggles from the perimeter where he’s shooting an Andre Drummond-like 30 percent from the three-point line but it’s the small intangibles that make what he does so special. Mind you, the Wolves are without the services of high-flying SG Zach LaVine which has caused Rubio to look for his shot more. This season, he’s hitting on 40 percent of his shots, the highest of his career.
Maybe he finally got the point that the Wolves success starts and ends with him. If that’s the case, he may very well pull off the impossible and get the Wolves into that 8th spot if his hot streak continues.
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
