Ricky Rubio’s injury will prove as the necessary stepping stone for these young Minnesota Timberwolves as they boast one of the youngest rosters.
Rubio’s presence for the majority of his career has been a benefit much more than a detriment to the team. However, his absence is going to be just as beneficial as his playtime for the Timberwolves has been.
The number one reason why, is the confidence that is going to build for the organization from top to the bottom, and from back court to the front office. Tom Thibodeaux, was not the general manager of the Timberwolves when the team continually dangled Rubio in trade talks in the past. And through all those previous talks, Rubio was never really going to part ways with the Timberwolves. This is due to his effectiveness and elite talent.
Rubio, now an above average point guard in the NBA, is a serviceable player and a leader. Qualities any team can ask for. However, with a below average scoring ability, Rubio’s presence has greatly taken away from the offense’s full force. Rubio is consistently below average when it comes to shooting from the floor. And it gets worse the farther from the basket he gets. This allows defenders to sag into passing lanes and limit Rubio’s court vision.
Overseas, before his NBA career, Rubio was considered the best pure point guard. He thrived in his time playing professional ball before he was 18, just like Tony Parker. Unlike Parker, Rubio success did not manifest itself into a Hall of Fame career.
The Timberwolves front office will now get an indefinite amount of time to see what life without Rubio will be like. Rubio through two games is averaging 4.5 PPG and 6.5 APG. They have long appreciated his ability to run the offense and play great defense, but are now forced to realize that the team may have hit its ceiling with him as it starting point guard.
The addition of Kris Dunn and the continual development of Zach LaVine and Andrew Wiggins have given the Timberwolves a formidable and young starting and reserve options for their backcourt. Wiggins was able to drop 25 points Thursday night, and Levine scored 31 the game before.
The real success will come when Dunn is able to replace or mimic Rubio’s vision. If he can come close to Rubio’s career average of 8.3 APG, the sky is the limit for these young pups. Dunn has not disappointed but has shown flashes as he gets acclimated to the NBA game. The former Providence star is averaging 6.3 PPG and 5 APG. Those numbers will definitely improve as Dunn gains experience in the league. He plays like the hybrid version of Damian Lillard and Jamal Crawford.
These players confidence will improve to create more confidence within the front office. That life without Rubio isn’t that bad. Rubio’s injury was almost necessary for this teams growth. Pretty soon we could be talking about how this team was built through the draft into a dominate factor in the West-- just like the Golden State Warriors. It is unfortunate that Rubio had to get hurt for this to come to fruition.
Jordan Hill, Gorgui Dieng, Nikola Pekovic and Karl-Anthony Towns have the front court on lock and will prove formidable against most lineups. These bigs are capable of providing big numbers as long as there is a point guard, like Rubio to run the show, but his inability to be a consistent score hurts that unit. Dunn, LaVine and Wiggins along with Tyus Jones provide floor spacing and consistency that will allow the bigs to run wild.
