Minnesota Timberwolves – Ricky Rubio
With Kevin Love gone and Andrew Wiggins not yet ready, Ricky Rubio is the face of the Minnesota Timberwolves franchise. The Wolves gave Rubio a massively overpriced extension a few weeks ago and despite his elite passing skills and solid defensive playmaking, it’s hard to overlook his historically poor shooting.
Rubio is a career 36.9 percent shooter and his struggles in making a jump shot or even finishing at the rim allow defenses to play off of him and try to cut off his passing angles. Now that he’s being paid like a franchise player, it’s time to start playing like one.
So far this season, Rubio is averaging 10.8 points, 11.0 assists and 6.3 rebounds per game — all career highs. He’s also shooting 41.9 percent from the floor, another career high. If these kinds of numbers continue, the Wolves will be in a better place in a few years with this 24-year-old point guard leading the offense and perimeter defense.