Getty/Kavin Mistry Andrew Wiggins and Stephen Curry walk down the court when they played against Brooklyn.
It is safe to say that the best player to come out of the 2009 NBA Draft was Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry. Due to his small frame and durability issues, he fell down to seventh overall, which the Warriors smartly grabbed him.
Selected two picks before Curry, Ricky Rubio was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he played for almost a decade. In 34 games, Rubio was enjoying a nice bounce back season with the Cavaliers averaging 13.1 points and 6.6 assists. Unfortunately, just before the calendar year turned, he suffered a torn ACL and was ruled out for the rest of the season.
Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer reported last week that Rubio’s one-year remaining deal essentially becomes an expiring trade asset deal for Cleveland as they looked to improve and make a push for the playoffs. He is due to make $17 million in his last year of his deal.
Recently, Rubio made comments to Spanish media outlet AS NBA regarding trade rumors. H/T BasketNews for translation:
“Every trade deadline I’m involved in rumors… not even while injured I’m safe. It’s a little stressful, my family suffers. It’s not nice being in rumors.” Among them, the Golden State Warriors: “It would be nice to play with Curry and Klay Thompson.”
Rubio casually mentioned that the Warriors as a team he would not mind joining. With how laid-back Curry and Thompson are, it should not be too surprising a lot of players would love to play alongside the Splash Brothers in San Francisco.
Rubio’s Long Illustrious Basketball Career
He may have played 11 years in the NBA, but Rubio’s basketball experience expands much longer than that. Rubio initially started playing professional basketball at 14 years old in the Spanish ACB League. At 16, he debuted in the Euro League, and was soon touted as the next great international basketball player.
His basketball IQ and awareness of where teammates and opponents’ tendencies have always been elite. Like Jason Kidd, Rubio always managed to rack up high assist rates, and high steal rates throughout his career. The one thing that held Rubio back was his inability to shoot the ball at a decent clip. A career 39% shooter, defenders were able to sag away from Rubio and it severely hindered the ability to open the floor more to bring his game to another level.
As a Veteran, the Spaniard Attributes Are More Than What He Brings on the Court
Now in his 11th year in the NBA, Rubio has become a mentor for many young point guards around the league. With his past stints in Utah, Phoenix, and Minnesota, Rubio realized he could provide a lot of leadership for young budding stars. He was integral in helping Donovan Mitchell, Devin Booker, and Anthony Edwards when they were young and developing early in their careers.
In his brief couple months in Cleveland, Rubio has helped Darius Garland elevate his game to another level. Garland was recently selected as a member of the Eastern Conference All Star, so there definitely is something there with Rubio as a leader.
With the Warriors, Rubio can provide Jordan Poole with the same type of mentorship that he has given other young wings. Playing in a sixth man role with Cleveland, Rubio could eventually reprise that role with the Warriors, serving as a fantastic secondary ball handler, and help give Curry and Thompson more time to rest on the bench.