(Continued from the previous article:Find yourself in Salt Lake City! The reborn Ricky Rubio is ready to bloom (Part 1))
Marc Gasol still remembers the first time he heard Rubio's name: it was during the 2006 World Cup group stage, when he was playing for the national team in Hiroshima, Japan. The European Armada advanced a few weeks later, even faster than the star-studded American team (LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade). But on the same day, the entire team, including Gasol, his brother Pau, current Cavaliers point guard Jose Calderon and other Spanish teammates, were talking about another Spanish team thousands of miles away.
Returning to Spain from Japan, Rubio led the U-16 Spanish national team to advance to the European Championship championship game, facing Russia. The 15-year-old Rubio scored a half-court three-pointer at the last moment of the regular season, forcing the game into a playoff and defeating the Northern Siberian army with momentum, 110 to 106. Laurel crown. Although he won the gold medal under the turbulent waves, this was not the most surprising thing about Gasol, but Rubio's epic performance like a ghost:51 points, 24 rebounds, 12 assists, 7 steals. "We were all shocked when we looked at the data column and kept asking"Who is this kid?" 』,"real or fake? 』"Recalling the time, Gasol said: "This performance was too crazy and exaggerated. We couldn't believe it was true."
This competition also made Rubio become famous overnight, becoming a popular star in European basketball and making NBA teams salivate. DraftExpress better calls him"The destined star"and have"Amazing winner traits". Two years later, although he was only 17 years old but already had one year of experience as a professional player, he was selected into the main roster for the Beijing Olympics. After the original point guard Calderon was unable to play due to a leg injury, Rubio became the starting guard in the Spanish gold medal game. At such a young and immature age, facing world superstars such as Chris Paul and Kobe Bryant who were in their prime, even others would be nervous for him; but at that time, he had no pressure:
"Actually, you don't think too much. When you are only 14, 15, 16, or 17 years old, you don't actually understand how big the world is and how strong those people are. You just treat it as a game. I At that time, I just thought, ‘Okay, this person is Chris Paul, and I’m responsible for guarding him.’ There was no other feeling.”
In this way, Rubio, as a 17-year-old boy, resisted Chris Paul, who was called "the best controller in the world" at the time.Scored 6 points, 3 assists, and 3 steals., although not eye-catching, he dribbled behind the ball and changed speed to cut into the layup and directly beat veteran Jason Kidd. In addition, his active defense also interfered with the almost flawless American team, plus the Gasol brothers As well as Rudy Fernandez's offensive performance, Spain remained competitive throughout the game, and in the end they only finished in the silver medal with 118:107."This kid's performance on the defensive end is really amazing."Gasol praised Rubio after the game."At this age, it is completely out of proportion to his enthusiasm. He can completely read the opponent and interfere."
For NBA fans, Rubio's existence is no longer a distant mystery. In the biggest hall of international basketball, he has fully demonstrated where he belongs. And he was only one step away from this belonging."During the Beijing Olympics, everyone was talking about him. For us players on the U.S. team, of course our goal was to win the game, so we kept annoying him (Rubio), like we kept telling him ‘Hey, you have to come to our NBA side!’ distracted him.”Paul told local Minnesota outlet the St. Paul Herald last year.
The end of this competition has become the beginning of Rubio's ambition:
"I have always been a person who enjoys the moment, but after losing the Olympic gold medal, my thoughts became"I must play with the strongest players, and I must challenge the NBA!" 』”—Rubio
Just like when he was a kid, he still had to wait another two years. Minnesota finally selected this "golden boy" with the fifth overall pick in 2009 (and selected Syracuse University point guard Jonny Flynn with the sixth overall pick to buy insurance. The Timberwolves' move that year can be called the worst move in the past ten years. One of the weirdest draft moves of the year). Rubio, who was only 18 years old at the time, reportedly still wanted to practice in Spain for a few more seasons, but the buyout clause in his contract added many variables to his challenge to the NBA. In the end, FC Barcelona Basketball took over Rubio's original contract, and then bought out the contract in 2011, letting Rubio complete his American dream. During that year, Rubio played for one of the top basketball teams in Europe, playing alongside Spanish legend Juan Carlos Navarro, former NBA 2005 lottery pick Fran Vazquez, and former Rockets and Magic forward Terence Morris. As for his roommate? is a left-handed Australian foreign aid. Now many years later, they reunited and became teammates: he is Joe Ingles.
"He's like the Justin Bieber of Spain. I hear people talking about Ricky Rubio all the time. He just has that charisma about him. No matter where we play — big cities or small cities or other countries — When we return to the hotel in the evening, there are always hundreds of people waiting at the door to welcome us. The fans are always crazy about him. Everyone wants to see him, have contact with him, or just say hello. He is in the minds of those Lu fans. , it’s more important than the content of the game.”
—Joe Ingles
Rubio struggled at times during his year in Barcelona, and his partnership with Navarro was less than perfect."It's completely different here. When you run a play designed for Juan Carlos Navarro, the ball must be shot by Juan Carlos Navarro. There is no other choice."Ingles recalled."Every aspect on the court has become more rigorous, and the coaching system is different. I remember sometimes Ricky would choose to shoot when he was open. If he didn't make it, he would be replaced. It's just that the shot didn't come in! That's it. It’s really not OK to cultivate the confidence of young players!”
While Rubio struggled with scoring, Ingles saw other rays of light in him and the beginnings of his future:"I always thought I was a player with a high IQ, but after playing with him, when he was only 17 years old, I thought, 'Damn! This is not fair.' Even though he was a freshman playing with these NBA-level players, Rubio still had his leadership moments when he commanded the team:"I still remember one time when I was substituted, he was explaining the tactical moves to others."Ingles Memories,"He plays with a group of 34- and 35-year-old veterans, but these people listen to him on the court. When playing offensive tactics, he said to the whole team: 'If you do this, you will be here. There will be a chance to strike." These people completely trusted his prediction, and in the end things turned out exactly as he said.You can definitely tell that this kid's overall view is completely superior to other players."
The NBA seems to be a league more suitable for Rubio's talent. "Pace and space" has slowly begun to become the hallmark of the league's style. Before reaching the highest palace of basketball, Rubio can already foresee that he can get more than half a game here. Barcelona, which focuses on offense, gives full play to:
"The five-on-five half-court battle is more difficult for me, although I am slowly improving.But I know that what I am best at and what I can be most creative with is playing full-court basketball., I can see broader and use the advantages I have more easily. "
Rubio finally arrived in Minnesota in 2011 and started his NBA journey under the then head coach Rick Adelman, and brought many unprecedented basketball visual feasts to Minnesota fans. On the defensive end, he can fully interfere; on the offensive end, he can assist in advancement. His jump shot is bad, but compared to the other aspects mentioned above, who cares? At least not from the gray wolf's confused cry of "Olé!"
"Everything was perfect."Rubio said.
But perfection never lasts long. An ACL tear in March also ended his rookie season; the Timberwolves also changed four coaches in four years; and the team's focus in building the team has also shifted from star level to star-level. Forward Kevin Love transitioned to Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns. Rubio has never developed a consistent jump shot or the ultimate scoring tool in recent years; he is even regarded as one of the worst shooters in the league today. Then in 2016, Minnesota hired Tom Thibodeau to integrate this group of young prospects, and his arrival also brought Rubio trade rumors."When there is a new group of people in charge, you know they will want to bring in their own people, so I kind of feel like an 'adopted son'. My thoughts at the time were like, 'They don't hate me, but they won't. Treat me as if you like them.』
Under the leadership of Thibodeau, Rubio seems to be playing at a ceiling level. After last season's All-Star Game, he averaged 16 points and nearly 11 assists per game; but he still knew that his days in Minnesota were numbered.
"At a certain point, you start to become immune to the rumors that are floating around in your ears. I mean, of course we're all professionals and we know it's all business, but at the end of the day, so are we players. People also have emotions. I love this city and have been attached to it for a long time. Therefore, it is very difficult to live with these rumors for two years. It is difficult for me not to think about my future."
Meanwhile, Snyder has quietly transformed the Jazz into a Western Conference powerhouse built on defense, toughness and the all-around excellence of star forward Gordon Hayward. It was rumored that Hayward, who became a free agent after last season, had hoped that the Jazz would trade for Rubio."When we complete the deal, we don't know what the roster will look like for the new season."Snyder said.
"But this is what we think: No matter what happens to other players, at least we are sure to have a very knowledgeable on-field general. He can understand the defense and take the team's performance to the next level. Offense. On the other hand, when you have a star who can command and stabilize the team and knows what he is doing, he can definitely lead the entire team, no matter who his teammates are."
After the trade, Rubio traveled to San Diego with Gobert and other Jazz teammates to meet with Hayward and convince him to re-sign with the Jazz. Everyone knows the final result: they failed: Hayward left for the East Coast, and the remaining Jazz tried to return to the playoffs in the new season without the scoring champion who led them in the past four seasons. Down. In this difficult situation, Rubio, a new player, can still feel the energy from his surroundings."Here, I feel needed."He said,"They have no doubts about me and see the future in me. They are not just talking about this year, but about next year's season and year after year. For me, this change is very big."
So far, the results of the deal have been bittersweet. The Jazz do maintain a good defense (seventh in the league). When a healthy Gobert presses in the penalty area and Thabo Sefolosha sticks to one wing, Rubio has space to play and can safely gamble to steal or directly steal the ball. on the offensive end, although Rubio averaged a career-high scoring average and shot attempts, he also posted a career-low assist count. In a few big games like the 30-point outburst against the Trail Blazers, Rubio seemed to show what his next evolution would look like. The ball-handler who always "passes first" finally found a way to score.
"Sometimes shooting the ball is the best option. As much as I love sharing the ball and helping my teammates play better, sometimes the most selfless thing for the team is to shoot the ball."Although Rubio said this, as of now, most opponents probably still welcome Rubio to make more moves. After all,This season, his shooting percentage is still only 38.9%, and his three-point shooting percentage is only 30%., almost all of them are low bids for starters in the league.
"We were well aware of the shortcomings of his skills when we traded him, but we still deeply feel his determination to improve, and he does have the ability."Snyder sees that Rubio still has room to get better outside of shooting.
"What we are trying to improve now is his rhythm. He drives the ball very quickly, but speed does not answer all the questions. If he can learn how to change speed and slow down at the right moment, it will allow him to rush forward. The speed becomes faster. Of course, this also helps him interpret the game and create more shooting gaps for himself and his teammates. I think when you discover this and work harder on mastering rhythm and angles, you will find these The subtle details will make him a better shooter."
—Snyder
Many guards facing Rubio have always had the tradition of switching defenses in his pick-and-roll, directly letting Rubio's shot go; in contrast, Rubio actually benefited from such a "reward". According to Synergy Sports data, last season, when the opponent switched defense after being picked and rolled, his field goal percentage ranked 41% in the league; compared to defenders following Rubio, his field goal percentage ranked 82% in the league, which is not small. gap.
Just like the aforementioned game against Portland, he once again made Lillard and the Blazers pay the price for missing him."It doesn't matter if you continue to let Rubio go, he will keep sniping at you!"Jazz forward Jonas Jerebko said. As the season goes on and the game becomes more complex, if Rubio can shoot well enough for defenders to start paying attention to him, he can certainly open up the floor and take other offensive possibilities.
"He needs to know that if the opponent switches defense during the pick-and-roll, he will have that gap, and he must have the confidence to shoot the ball. This is very important. Of course, he does not necessarily have to shoot every time. This is also A time to make a decision, maybe a pull-up jump shot, an alley-oop to Rudy, or a big corner pass; but the most important thing is that he can still continue to dribble, and there is no need to feel that he must make a sudden decision. The decision to die.This is the thing Ricky is least used to and the thing he should get used to the most: waiting."
—Snyder
That's right. When he was 4 years old, he could not wait to play on the court. At 14 years old, Ricky had already turned professional. At 17 years old, he was already on the Olympic stage, competing with a bunch of players who were one step older than him; and he By the end of his time in Minnesota, he was playing more for other GMs...All along, Rubio seems to exist for the future, but instead loses what should be experienced in the present.
"It's been really hard for me to just focus on the present moment, and now I'm trying to figure out how to adapt, but it's really not easy."
During his final days in Minnesota, Rubio said:"I used to feel like I was lost in some way, like I was on an uninhabited island. I didn't even know who I was."He has spent his entire life playing basketball and living a life that seems to have been predestined; becoming a point guard that is only slightly above the NBA average was not in the plan... and recently , he decided to start leaving the future behind and focus on every moment of the present.
"If you told me what my basketball career would be like in the next 10 years, I would be completely unmotivated to practice! Now I am working hard to become stronger because I have no idea what will happen next. What's up." He closed his eyes slightly for a while, seeming to fall into his own meditation."This unknown gives me peace of mind."He said,"A kind of peace that I've never had before."
Today's Ricky Rubio is no longer a golden boy or a ghost. He may have fatal flaws on the court, but he is also quite smart. He is no longer defined by words such as "big thing", "disappointment", and "potential". He suddenly said:
"I think I'm at this critical point in my career and my life, a moment where I really love what I do. I don't know where the future is going to take me, and I don't need to know. It's the unpredictability that makes my life so exciting. More fun!"
—Ricky Rubio
Reference for compiling this article:The Real Ricky Rubio Is Finally Ready to Stand Up
