We’ve really missed the cherub-faced Ricky Rubio over the last few years. First there was that ACL tear two-thirds of the way through his rookie season, then he sprained his ankle earlier this year. He’s only got 18 games under his belt in his fourth NBA season, and he’s only appeared in 198 games in his career. It’s his all-around brilliance — 13 points, 15 dimes and eight rebounds in a big 121-113 win over the Blazers at home last night — that’s a reminder why we get so agog over his play.
His passing, especially, is like a clinic. And yes, he can’t shoot, but so what — we’ll still bask in what he does well.
There was this slick pump-fake bounce pass to thread the needle to a rolling Pekovic (why Robin Lopez jumps out so far on the awful-shooting Rubio, we’ll never know)
An ESP mind-meld on this flip to Andrew Wiggins cutting along the baseline:
And of course the cross-court bounce pass at a full sprint that led to a Wiggins layup.
That last dime was Magic-esque, and he doesn’t have Earvin’s 6-9 frame to propel the ball.
Damian Lillard finished with 32 points and eight assists in the loss, but it’s clear the Blazers could have used Wesley Matthews last night — it only to slow down Ricky.
Kevin Martin led the T-Wolves with 29 points in the win.
