Ricky Rubio’s Top 10 Plays

In a profession of relatively few, highly skilled individuals the world knows by name, Ricky Rubio’s best plays are unique to anybody else. It’s not hard to know why, either: He’s been a pro since he was 16 in Spain. While that’s an easy space to insert an even easier AAU joke, Rubio’s whole career has been one long test of the adage that you get better only by playing against those who are better. Since he was an early teenager, he’s been playing against grown men, an experience that’s made him into a player who seems — after much discussion that he’d turn out otherwise — to be a lock for an All-Star appearance during his NBA tenure.

Just because he played against players years older than him for at least the first four years of his career didn’t mean they were always better, however. At some point in Spain — around the time he transferred from DKV Jovenut to ACB Barcelona — he became Euroleague’s flashiest and best guard. No one doubts his development hit a plateau after the 2008 Olympics, but after only his first couple weeks in the NBA last winter, he proved that the star we’d all heard about watching half-focused EuroLeague clips on YouTube was, in fact, true. Now Rubio, after suffering ligament damage last March, is expected to make his return to the Timberwolves lineup within the next two weeks — if not tonight. The world of point guards rejoices.

Until he returns, tide yourself over with his top 10 career plays.

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10. HITTING THE TRAILER
There’s a good chance Rubio would have challenged this EuroLeague big man with his left hand, made the layup under pressure and we all would have forgotten about this play forever. Instead, he gets the big man completely out of position by wrapping the ball around the other side, hitting a trailing forward whose dunk can’t be defended by a guy who’s still halfway turned around. Yes, this is No. 10.



9. ALL THE ANGLES
Rubio’s seemingly innate knowledge of angles is what makes his plays hard to imagine coming from anyone but him or two-to-three others. That we are aware of his elite vision and understanding of passing lanes not visible to the naked eye of most point guards does not make the plays where he exploits them any less fun to watch, however.



8. THE FAKE WRAP/SPINNING CORNER FEED COMBO
Just to see if the Nets were paying attention he faked the behind-the-back pass by bringing it back to himself. Catching the defender still frozen in the passing lane, Rubio just whips it around him to Wesley Johnson who, it should be noted, commits an absolute crime by driving and not giving Rubio the chance for an assist.



7. ALLEY-OOP
Rubio doesn’t need to make it this hard on himself with the assists he throws sometimes. Case in point is this alley-oop last season to Kevin Love against San Antonio. Throwing it like a shot put from your waist isn’t the easiest way to do it and probably the last way you’d try to make a pass as accurate as his is, arriving at the peak of Love’s jump with a man on his back. That he adds a certain flourish to his plays is as obvious as his moptop, but his alone remind me of a player who’s just thought of that move that very second. Few plays, like this oop, seem planned.



6. NO-LOOK SEAM SPLITTER
Not only were three possible defenders within three feet of the ball confused by this no-look dime, Kevin Love was left hanging with his mouth agape.



5. AROUND THE BACK DIME
What’s not to like? There’s the initial crossover, the sleight-of-hand to loop the ball around his waist while keeping his defender frozen and then the 20-foot dime with his left hand to a leaping big man a layer of defense away. Degree of difficulty: Don’t try this at your rec game today.



4. BEHIND-THE-BACK LOVE
Here’s one of those true displays of just how skilled a player is: improvisation. This isn’t bringing the ball up the court with a specific play or move in mind to use, but rather a touch pass wrap-around dime when the ball just falls into his grasp. The English he puts on this pass to curl just so to Love is nearly unmatchable, let alone for a guy who got about four fingers on the ball when he threw it.



3. NUTMEG CUBED
Between-the-leg tricks don’t get old and part of me is wondering if Rubio will improve on his three from last season. He threw a pass through Dirk Nowitzki‘s legs on one play to get around Dallas’ baseline help defense, then dribbled between DeMarcus Cousins during the Rookie-Sophomore All-Star Challenge. Maybe the best use of the nutmeg came when he escaped his rookie mistake of driving baseline with nowhere to go by splitting Tyson Chandler to find Nikola Pekovic for the dunk.



2. HALF-COURT BOUNCE
As a sucker for bounce passes, I’m even more impressed by the symmetry of it all on this play. Who does Rubio find for the layup from 40 feet away? None other than Kevin Love, the reigning champion of NBA outlet passes.



1. RIDICULOUS RUBIO
You don’t need to watch past the first half-minute of this video. Actually, even the first five seconds with just his stat line from a FIBA U16 game is enough, really. But afterward is how he ended that insane game in international play, the kind of play that started the legend that David Kahn bought in to: A half-court, game-winning, buzzer-beating, double-pumping winner.

What do you think?

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