Those Who Pass | The Career of Raphael Rubio

[TheDominator273]

After my previous player lock career file was corrupted I decided to start fresh rather than try to recreate where I was in the NBA season. As a Timberwolves fan I've always loved Ricky Rubio and how he plays the game. So enter my new player lock career featuring Raphael "Raphi" Rubio, the fictional younger brother of Ricky.





Raphael Rubio, the younger brother of Timberwolves PG Ricky Rubio, is a quiet unassuming player who is happy to fly under the radar compared to the draft hype his older brother received. Raphael plays very similar to Ricky, both players are fantastic pass first point guards who are stellar defenders, although when asked how he compared to his brother Raphael looked at me with a big smile and said

"I can shoot better."

The thought of a better shooting Ricky Rubio has to intrigue front office executives in the leadup to the 2017 draft, despite the draft being full of very good point guards. Rubio is a different player than the other top guards in the draft. While the likes of Fultz, Ball, Fox, and Smith Jr. are all in the mold of the modern NBA point guard, Rubio harkens back to the day when point guards weren't asked to score as much as they were to set up their teammates for easy buckets.

Rubio burst onto the draft scene with a stellar performance in the 2016 FIBA
U18 Europe Championship as he helped lead Spain to a 2nd place finish, losing in the finals to France and fellow draft prospect Frank Ntilikina. For the tournament Rubio averaged 16.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, 11.5 assists, 0.5 blocks and 3.8 turnovers per game. He was incredibly efficient shooting 52.2%/37.5%/93.8%.

Unfortunately for Raphael, he barely plays for Real Madrid so GM's will have to rely on his highlights from this tournament as well as individual draft workouts to get a sense of whether they want to draft him or not.
Strengths

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.

Defesively, he plays with a lot of energy and puts in a great effort to put pressure on the opposing ball handlers. Possesses quick hands and terrific anticipation allow him to get his hands on a lot of balls.

Weaknesses

Has good speed but lacks the great explosiveness that top tier point guards in the league possses … He is forced to shoot high amount of attempts in the paint because his marginal leaping ability makes it difficult for him to finish around the basket.

Heavily depends on the pick and roll to create his opportunities and does not show a great ability to break down defenders in ISO situations.

His outside shooting needs to continue to improve, maturity will bring the necessary leg strength and stability to shoot with better consistency.

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.

[TheDominator273]

Rubio Impresses in Workouts

Its been a whirlwhind draft process for Raphael Rubio and as we approach the draft its no clearer where he might be drafted than it was a few months ago. After having a good showing, including being the best 3 point shooter from NBA range among the point guard prospects, Rubio has worked out for the Boston Celtics (1st overall), Phoenix Suns (4th overall), Orlando Magic (6th overall), Dallas Mavericks (9th overall), Detroit Pistons (12th overall), Denver Nuggets (13th overall), Chicago Bulls (16th overall), and the Milwaukee Bucks (17th overall).

Reports are that he has impressed every team with his workouts, showing that his NBA Draft Combine shooting performance was indeed legitimate. Still the range of teams that have worked him out means it is difficult to pick up where Rubio could be drafted. On pure talent alone he is a clear lottery pick, but with his unique skill set, he requires the right fit in order to truly shine.

One NBA exec voiced his concerns saying "Rubio is a fantastic player, but I feel that if he's not allowed to control the ball and run pick and roll he's really going to be minimized. If a team goes all out in surrounding him with shooters and letting him just do his thing, he could be the best player in the draft. How many teams will commit to him like that though?"

What do you think? Where would Raphi be a good fit? Check out the highlights from the FIBA U18 Europe Championship below and let me know where you think he would be a good fit.

[SkyFlyer]

Rubio would best fit in Philly with that young offense


Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

[TheDominator273]

After the big Celtics/76ers trade I think there's going to be some interesting moves happening at the draft so I'm going to wait until after the draft to continue this.