The guy gambles too much on defense, looking for the steal too much instead of trying to keep his feet in front of his man. He also gets caught on the screens too much. These problems can be corrected. His lack of quickness might get exposed when he gets to the L, so I don't think he'll ever be a good defender. Quickness isn't the sort of thing that can be improved over time. That said, every time I see him play, I'm really impressed by his feel for the game. He's a point guard point guard. He sets up his assists deliberately, where he'll make a couple moves to get into the right place to make a pass no one expects. In that sense, he really knows how to run an offense and in the right system, he could play a similar role as Nash. His shot seems okay but his shooting can improve. He's 19. When he plays in the league, he'll be very good.
I don't get the "he's going to get eaten up in the NBA" argument considering he has played against Chris Paul, Curry, and Rose in the last few summers and so far he hasn't been devoured. Who is he going to play who will be better than those guys? I mean there are two ways to judge him - take his skill set and compare it to the skill sets of successful NBA players or just watch him play other NBA caliber players like he has the last few summers. Which do you think is the more accurate method? ....and I do think you can teach him to shoot. His form looks decent enough - he just needs some consistency in it. If he is a gym rat(and by all accounts he is), he will pick up on that soon enough. You however CANT teach the type of vision he has. Considering at 19 he already has an elite level vision - that's amazing. I don't even think Nash or Kidd could see the floor like Rubio can at the same age. And let's not get too caught up on his defensive speed/athleticism. Nash has speed and athleticism in spades and he still sucks at defense. Hell Luis Scola probably ranks in the bottom of nearly every physical metric at the NBA PF slot and yet he somehow managed to be a nightly 20/10 threat. I think it's also worth noting that Nash creates shots for his teammates by driving and breaking down defenses on their help rotations but that's not the ONLY way to be an effective PG. Although Stockton was quick, he certainly wasn't a drive and kick type of guy and he turned out just fine as an assist machine. Coach Sloan used lots of pick and rolls and off ball cuts with Stockton and i think that's probably a similar system you'll see used with Rubio. Nash's drives are more indicative of his coaches utilizing his strengths(quickness). I think most here are correct to point out he will have his issues on the defensive end of the court as well as the fact he still has some things to work on(physical strength, his shot, cut down on TOs), but I don't think it's a stretch to see Rubio playing in an All Star game someday in the NBA considering how good he is now. At very least he's already a legit NBA starter(at very least on the T-Wolves) at 19 playing the hardest position (PG) filling the toughest role(floor leader). That means something if the fact he holds his own against the USA's best doesn't mean anything to you...
I take it you're a fan but this post sounds completely silly. He could turn out to be the best point guard in the league and still not sniff a championship his whole career.
LOL but the guys he listed usually only have one flaw in their game. Kidd doesn't have great shooting but has size, rebounding, D and pass making. Nash doesn't have good D but has shooting, playmaking, leadership etc... Rubio only has playmaking as his elite skill. He's not an athletic freak like Wall or Rose but he also lacks the shooting touch that Nash and Stockton have/had. His playmaking is off the chains but the rest of his skills lead me to doubt his impact in the nBA. Of course he's still 19, let's what happens when he gets more seasoning and his body matures but if he goes to the NBA right now he'll be eaten alive.
I'll agree that he doesn't have explosive athleticism with compared to his NBA counterparts, but to say that he's overrated or too deficient to play in the NBA is just off. He's competitive against all star caliber guards that he's played against less that a handful of times. I'd really love to see what kind of player he'd be in the league after 3 years in the league. No doubt that he'll be competitive in the first couple but realistically looking at it, 3 sounds like it'd be a good gauge for learning the toughest position. His court vision, hands, overall aggressiveness, and/or overall ball IQ are all off the charts. He's not an athletic freak but he's no slouch either against possibly the fastest Dream Team ever. If there's really any doubt as to how good this kid can be, remind yourself what everyone's comparing him to. I've yet to read one analysis of Rubio compared to a decent or regular starter. Everyone's measuring stick is that of all star caliber PG and all at the young age of 19 and never having to have set foot in the NBA. If you saw any other 19 yr old play this way from anywhere else what you think?
Do you even realize that the international game is different from the NBA game? Not only that, he's playing against all-star teams, these teams are usually top heavy on offense and not a lot of defense. If he goes to the NBA and plays against a team like the Hornets, you think CP3 will be the one guarding him? More likely it'll be Ariza, as Rubio will be the number 1 perimeter threat of the wolves. Also the NBA teams he's played against lacks any type of space clogging big men. Let's see how he does if he goes up against the Bynum-Gasol twin towers, or even our own Yao Ming. V-span tore it up against the dream team before. How did he fare in the NBA?
You bring up good points but IMHO athleticism is extremely important in this league, much more than you think. Remember Luke Babbitt? I said he's too slow to play in the NBA and most of the posters here brushed it off, saying stuff like this guy will be an all-star, or that the rockets should get him with the 14th pick. The dude couldn't even get a decent performance against summer league scrubs, that trade with the Timberwolves certainly looks dumb now, considering they gave up Webster for two guys who will just ride the pine. The point is if you're not that athletic or big you need to have some shooting touch. If Rubio can develop range from the 3 pointline IMHO he'll be one of the up and coming pgs in the league. If not he'll just be fairly average.
Corrected and thank you for the valid point. But Rubio will definitely be better in the NBA than V-Span. All-Star? Nah.
We will never know, because he bailed after his rookie year.......if he had Adelman, I am sure he would have had a lot more success. DD
I used marco as more of an example in terms of what he will be against. Like i said earlier, if you're going to be a big pg, you need to be like kidd/payton or like westbrook/rose/williams. He has great court vision,but he has slow feet,weak body,and cant shoot. Even though kidd has never been a good shooter, he's always been big,strong,fast with that court vision. He's been a threat in the post, even with the lack of shooting. He used this to off set the quicker,smaller guards. the newer big guards,willams,westbrook,rose are not only very athletic, they're big,strong,and fast. Its not like those guys are old either. Those guys are going to eat rubio alive for years to come.Weztbrook and rose are what 21,22?
Rubio, (if he comes over to the NBA) will be a star PG. He is so much smarter than the other guys on the floor.....and is a very quick thinker, those players at the PG position are special. DD
He wont be a star,just a regular pg. He does have good vision, but no explosion,cant shoot, not strong or quick doesnt equal special.
Rubio seems like a slightly poor man's version of Nash. People claim that due to his young age he will steadily increase but that's not always the case - if he comes he'll eventually be a starter, but probably not an all-star for quite some time.
He is 19 years old, how quick and explosive is Nash again? What about Stockton? Mark Jackson? We have had this discussion before, brains over brawn Leeb, brains over brawn. Some players have both, but Rubio will be special... DD
. . . and if he doesn't? Rocket River it seems alot of folx are ready to dubb him two time MVP Steve Nash level . .. HOF John Stockton level . . Hall of Fame JAson Kidd level . . . that is a little lofty to me.
He may or may not get there but he has all the skills to be really special, every single time you hear an NBA coach speak about him they are gushing with praise. He is gonna be really really good, IMO..... DD
I cant help but imagine what these guys would have been capable of if they had been. Unstoppable? Some rings?
It has nothing to do with brains vs braun. When you take a guy 5,6, he is suppose to be special and have special qualities. Stocton and nash had good footspeed and quickness and were lights out shooters. Mark jackson had some of the same skills and limitations as rubio,but he was drafted middle to late. All of those guys exceeded expectations vs their draft position. Rubio was drafted high and will be expected to play at that level from the beginning. If he was that special, why go back to europe? Special players can tranform orhanizations. Look at garnett,durant as guys that turned laughingstocks into playoff teams. I question a players competitive desire on that alone.
