Ricky Rubio [International - Spain]

BasX · Mar 29, 2009

RICKY RUBIO

Physicals:
H: 6' 4"
W: 180 lbs
Bday: 10/21/1990
(18 Years Old)
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Comparisons:
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Strengths
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Weaknesses
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Overall Pick Selection
DraftExpress: --
NBADraft.net: --
BasX: --
J_Ray: --
Run BJM: --
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BasX · Mar 29, 2009

[video=youtube;KqLGzkhRHN8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqLGzkhRHN8[/video]

huevonkiller · Mar 29, 2009

Rubio displayed many of the tools that make him the best young prospect in Europe. His control of the offense and command of the team is well beyond what you’d expect from a player his age. He made nothing but good decisions, and didn’t take any of the immature shots you’d expect out of a 16 year old. Rubio uses his length very well in defending the ball, and is usually in the right spot to help out if a teammate gets beat. He also creates a lot of turnovers, and is currently ranked third in the ACB in steals.

Rubio possesses many ideal physical attributes for a point guard. He stands 6’4” and has a 6’9” wingspan, similar to that of Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics. Rubio has good quickness, and a first step that allows him easy access to the lane. He’s not a great vertical athlete at this point, but uses his quickness and length to the fullest. At the age of 16, it’s clear that his physical development is nowhere near complete. He will need to fill into his body, but has a good frame right now. It will be interesting to see how much more Rubio grows, and how he fills out physically.

The biggest weakness in Ricky Rubio’s game right now is perimeter shooting. While watching him shoot in practice, it’s noticeable that he releases the ball differently every time, and doesn’t follow all the way through with his stroke. Against Maccabi, he did use a nice quick release to make a three point jumper off the dribble, but this appears to be an aberration at this point in time. He has displayed the ability to hit mid-range jumpers at a decent clip, but he will need consistency in his stroke to become a threat from behind the 3 point line. He also needs to work on finishing inside against taller players. Being that it’s his first year in the Euroleague, Rubio is still adapting to going against bigger and physically developed players. He still releases the ball too low when trying to score inside, and it will cause some of his shots to be blocked until he adjusts. This happened on a fast break layup against Maccabi, where he tried to lay the ball low off the glass and was blocked. When finishing inside, Rubio must also use his body better to absorb contact, but his will come as he further develops physically.

In trying to find more out about Rubio, I talked to Luis Fernandez, the Director of International Scouting for DraftExpress. Fernandez covered the U16 championships over the summer, where Rubio was dominant throughout. There is a play made by Rubio in the final game that really speaks to his maturity and basketball IQ. The final game went into two overtimes, and Rubio finished with 51 points, 24 rebounds, 12 assists, and 7 steals. With 28 seconds left in the first overtime, Rubio was told in the timeout to hold for the final shot. As the ball was inbounded, there was no pressure coming from the Russian team, and Rubio let the ball bounce off his chest and onto the ground. The shot-clock didn’t start because no possession was established, and Rubio picked up the ball with 24 seconds left. His coach had not informed Rubio of the rule; it was the imagination of a 16 year old that led to such a veteran play.

Ricky Rubio is in a very controlled environment with DKV Joventut, and his family is determined to keep the early success from going to his head. Joventut rarely allows him to do interviews, and he politely declined my request for an interview after the game. Everyone we’ve talked to says Rubio is very mature and unselfish.

In Spain, players aren’t allowed to sign contracts until 16 years of age. Ricky Rubio just turned 16 on the 21st of October, and signed a 6 year deal with DKV Joventut with a buyout rumored to be around 6 million Euros. He becomes draft eligible in 2009, so a buyout must be negotiated if Rubio wants to declare in his draft eligible year. It seems with the maturity of Rubio and the people around him, he won’t declare until the time right to do so.

It will be interesting to see how Ricky Rubio develops between now and the time he enters the NBA draft. He could become the feature guy at point guard for DKV Joventut as soon as next year, and he will continue to fill out physically as he ages. In the three years remaining before he becomes draft eligible, Rubio can only improve, and it will be intriguing to see how he stacks up against his American counterparts.
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http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Ricky-Rubio--An-American-Perspective-1480/

huevonkiller · Mar 29, 2009

Strengths: He has good foot speed, a high basketball IQ, and great court sense. It's like he is one step ahead of everybody else on the court. Shoots it pretty well from the floor. He knows how to flop, can get to line a lot and shoots about 80% from the line. He goes hard everytime he is on the court. Has great length and quick reflexes to break up passes.

Weakness: Just needs to mature more once he gets to the NBA. Needs to add more strength. He has trouble guarding bigger and stronger guards. Can improve his outside shooting. He doesn't jump on his jumpshots, could get it blocked a lot in the nba.
Draft Profile provided by: Blake Robinson

La Pistola - ESPN Magezine article (July 3rd)
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http://www.mynbadraft.com/NBA-Draft-Profiles-2009/Ricky-Rubio

huevonkiller · Mar 29, 2009

Timo Lawrence - 4/29/2008
Strengths: The problem with Ricky Rubio is: Where to start? He has more skill than anyone in his worldwide age group. Including but not limited to: Defense, anticipation, intelligence, ball handling, PG (vision) creation, rhythm, coordination, ambition, scoring and personality He is practically ambidextrous, has good foot speed (not great) and excellent body control With excellent use of speed/ direction changes he excels both on the open court and the half court game as a set up or assist man Catch and shoot is quick and clean A smart rebounder, he gets optimum position under both boards Voted the best Euro young player for 2007, he has only acceptable shooting %s both from 2 and 3 points. His shooting delivery is consistent with no waste of time or extra movement. Ive thought about it a lot and think the best comparison to past-present NBA players would be the best of both Walt Clyde Frazier and Steve Nash At 17 years old he is already a feared and well respected ACB and Euro-level competitor. He is a warrior and plays all out, all the time. On top of that knows how to flop (with this kid its an art form) Hes also a master at getting to the FT line, where he knocs down a high rate (80%) Adventurous in his passing, he has two skills; Seeing and when necessary, creation of passing lanes. Excellent. Statistically he is a gem and he has personality. He leads. He knows how to win He will become a household name in many more households.

Weaknesses: His outside shooting needs to continue to improve Maturity will bring the necessary leg strength and stability to shoot with better consistency His ratio of Assists/ Turnovers needs improvement, time and experience being the only necessary elements required. Related to this: His youthful inexperience sometimes gets him caught out of control when competing with physically stronger men at the highest Euro level He is thin but will fill out as his frame is good.

Joshua Motenko - 8/20/2007
Strengths: This floppy-haired kids keeps getting better and better. Despite possible physical/athletic limitations, Rubio will have no trouble adjusting to the speed of NBA action because of his basketball IQ. He displays an uncanny court sense, playing three steps ahead of everyone else on the floor. He has the same sense of timing that Larry Bird had. He seems to know whats going to happen when the ball does. However, his style of play is extremely relaxed and confident because the game comes so easily to him.

Rubio lulls the defense to sleep and then suddenly uses his speed when they defense isnt ready, using his gear-shift very quickly. When slashing or breaking down his defender his footwork is excellent and seems so natural, and he really understands body angles making him quite slippery. He has years of experience getting by multiple defenders, and seems to have moves ready for when a second or third defender comes his way. He is an excellent ball handler who has perfected the behind the back dribble, which is currently his most reliable weapon when facing quicker and more athletic defenders. He can use this move when bringing the ball up the court or when getting into the lane. He is very creative and regularly makes magical plays nobody has ever seen before. His decision-making ability is on an elite level right now. He has superior court vision, and regularly whips passes one-handed cross court that are sharp and accurate. He has the ability to fake-out entire defenses to make the kinds of passes for easy baskets that only the elite players make.

Ricky likes to use his body to post up his defender on the block, and is very efficient with his moves going to the basket from this position. He also works hard to help his team on the glass because it enables him to make long passes over the top of the defense on fast breaks or to take rebounds coast-to-coast himself.

Defensively, he can be intimidating because he uses his great length, big hands, sense of timing and quick reflexes to disrupt passes and take away dribbling mistakes. He is around every loose ball, and seems to have a sense of knowing when to make big plays defensively to change the complexion of the game.

Weaknesses: Rubio will have trouble guarding point guards in the NBA. His lateral quickness is decent but not great. Against top competition, he does have some mental lapses at times. He often backs off his defender and uses his instincts to play position defense, but in the rare moments when he guesses wrong, he can get beat on simple plays like a back-door cut, or his defender will easily dribble right by him. Some of his height and vision advantage is lost when longer players guard him. He doesnt jump at all on his jump shot and could stand to change his shooting mechanics a little. This will be a problem when playing against elite athletes.

He is a big star at a young age, and already shows signs of having a big ego. He often creates contact and then expects LeBron James-type calls from the referees, and can get frustrated when he doesnt receive them. He has his own warm-up routine, and is often seen off on his own and not with the team, (although there are no reports of him not being a team player). The type of fame and success that hes had at such a young means it will be that much more important for him to continue to working on his game, improve his skills and not settle for just being as talented as he is now.
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http://www.nbadraft.net/players/ricky-rubio

Run BJM · Apr 8, 2009

DX has him now as "very likely" to be in the 2009 draft.

-Ricky Rubio, 1990 International, DKV Joventut- Back on the DraftExpress 2009 mock draft, after a four month stint where he was projected for 2010. Sources close to the situation indicate that Rubio’s family is now in favor of him entering this year, and that will almost certainly be on the early-entry list when it’s released on April 27th. His buyout still needs to be negotiated, which is easier said than done, but a final decision on whether to stay in likely won’t come until very close to the pull-out deadline, on June 19th. Unlike college players who are bound by the more restrictive NCAA rules, International players can enter the draft up to three times, which gives him plenty of wiggle room.

Also announced today—Rubio has accepted an invitation to the Reebok EuroCamp, which will be conducted from the 6-8 of June in Treviso, Italy. Joventut may have to lose in the quarterfinals of the playoffs to make that a reality, though. They are currently in 6th place in the league.
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http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Word-on-the-Street-Whoas-In-and-Out-of-the-2009-NBA-Draft-3168/

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Ricky Rubio [International - Spain]

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Ricky Rubio [International - Spain]

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BasX I Win

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