NBA Rumors: Why Ricky Rubio will be a free agent at the wrong time

NBA Rumors: Ricky Rubio will be a free agent at the wrong time because teams are focused on acquiring shoot-first point guards instead

"[Utah has] let me know that I am not priority number one. Then, we have to look for other options.”"

This was said by unrestricted free agent point guard Ricky Rubio in regards to the possibility of re-signing with the Utah Jazz this summer. Unfortunately for Rubio, it is unlikely that he will be a priority for any organization as teams are focused on acquiring shoot first point guards.

There are at least five teams other than Utah that have been linked to the point guard position leading into the 2019 offseason in the Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks, and Phoenix Suns. Unfortunately, the head coaches for most of these teams would force Ricky Rubio to spend a significant amount of time off the ball in the role of bystander or spot up shooter.

More from Sir Charles In Charge

Jim Boylen, Rick Carlisle, and Nate McMillan have all incorporated a significant amount of ball movement into their offensive systems. The first example of this was during a Mavericks road game against the Denver Nuggets when Jalen Branson dribbled the basketball up to the 3-point line.

Once this happened, he passed it to Dirk Nowitzki who was standing at the top of the key. Drik immediately gave the ball back to Jalen Branson and spent the rest of the possession on the right wing as a bystander.

Jalen proceeded to dribble the basketball towards the left wing and until Dwight Powell came to the top of the key. Once this happened, he passed the ball to Powell who waited for Luka Doncic to come towards him from the right wing. Once Luka got was close to Powell, they entered into a dribble handoff sequence to end the possession.

During this sequence, Gary Harris and Nikola Jokic decided to double team Luka meaning that Dwight Powell had an open to roll towards the basket. Their decision allowed to pass the ball to Powell for a layup.

The second example of this was in a Bulls home game against the Pelicans when Kris Dunn brought the basketball up to the 3-point line. Once this happened, he passed the ball to Zach LaVine who was standing in between the right corner and wing. Zach proceeds to take a few steps to his and wait for Robin Lopez to set a screen.

When Robin set the screen, he went over it and realized that his defender Frank Jackson was taking a little bit longer to get around the screen. Frank’s delay allowed him to take and make a mid-range jumper.

The last example of this was during an Indiana Pacers road game against the New Orleans Pelicans when Darren Collison dribbled the basketball up to the 3-point line. Once this happened, he passed it to Bojan Bogdanovic who was standing on the left wing. Bojan proceeded to give the basketball to Myles Turner, who had positioned himself at the top of the key.

The possession would end with Turner initiating a dribble handoff sequence with Cory Joseph. When Joseph got the ball, he used Turner as a screener to turn the corner. After this occurred, Cory took a few steps toward the basket before hitting Myles with a bounce pass. Myles took a couple more steps toward the basket before he attempted and missed a mid-range jumper.

Chicago, Dallas, and Indiana aren’t the only NBA teams that will feature a significant amount of ball movement next season as the Suns recently hired Monty Williams to be their new head coach. A prime example of the ball movement featured in Monty’s system was during his first season as an NBA head coach when the New Orleans Hornets had a road game against the Suns.

Midway through the first quarter, Chris Paul brought the basketball up to the 3-point line and passed it to David West who was standing at the top of the key.

West kept the ball until Trevor Ariza, who was standing on the right wing, began his cut towards the basket. Once this happened, David threw a bounce pass which allowed Ariza to get the ball at about the free throw line with no one between him and the basket. Trevor Ariza ended the possession with an uncontested dunk.

Offensive systems aren’t the only reason why Ricky Rubio would have to play off the ball next season as he may have to share the backcourt with other players who want to dominate the ball. Knicks point guard Dennis Smith Jr has shown a tendency to get mad when he does not have the ball.

According to ESPN, Smith asked the Mavericks to trade him after he saw that Luka Doncic was becoming the primary ball handler:

"Smith expressed that he hopes to be traded. Sources said Smith was frustrated with his role and had friction with Carlisle since Rookie of the Year front-runner Luka Doncic seized the reins of the offense."

Unfortunately, Ricky Rubio would struggle in an off the ball role as shooting has been the biggest flaw in his game. Ricky was known as an unreliable 3-point shooter during his tenure with Joventuts from 2006 to 2009, and that trend has continued through his first few years in the NBA.

The inability to develop a consistent 3-point shot has persisted throughout his NBA career as he has shot 32.2 percent from behind the arc in eight seasons ( making 0.8 3’s in 2.6 attempts per game). Ricky’s 3-point percentage has been significantly below the league average of 35.58 percent.

Therefore, opponents can afford to leave him open when he does not have the basketball to provide help defense elsewhere. For example, early in the first quarter of a Jazz home game against the Golden State Warriors when Ricky dribbled the basketball to the 3-point line.

Once this happened, he passed the basketball to Rudy Gobert and proceeded to spend the rest of the possession in the right corner as a bystander. As a consequence, his defender Stephen Curry decided to leave him wide open by standing near the right low block because he did not respect Ricky’s shooting abilities.

This gave Curry the opportunity to analyze the rest of the floor and see if any of his teammates needed help with their assignments. Consequently, if any of these organizations sign Ricky Rubio, they would need to make significant changes to their offensive systems.

Ricky has been known as a player with exceptional court vision and passing ability. In fact, Michael Wilbon of ESPN wrote a whole article trying to make NBA fans aware of Rubio’s extraordinary court vision and passing ability:

"They weren’t daunted by the number of times he’d score zero points and get only an assist or two in an entire game playing in Europe. They looked at his hands, his ability to throw pinpoint passes, his fearless creativity, and they knew the point guard from Spain was going to be better here, in the U.S., than he was on his native soil."

As a consequence, Rubio should be in an offense where he can be the primary ball handler. For example, initiating the pick and roll would allow Rubio to study the opposing defense to determine what is the right play on a specific possession. For instance, Rubio can bring the ball up to the 3-point line and call for a screen.

Once the pick was set, Ricky can pay attention to his defender to determine the course of action. If the defender stayed under the screen, he can either shoot the ball immediately or go over the screen to shoot a mid-range jumper.

On the other hand, if the defender fought over the screen, he can go over it as well and drive towards the basket to score or pass the basketball depending on whether a double team comes.

Unless these teams are willing to make the changes, they would be better off passing on Ricky Rubio. This would put him in a position where he has to wait until free agency dies down to see if Utah is interested in a reunion.

Unfortunately, a reunion wouldn’t be beneficial for either party as Quin Synder prefers to use the point guard position off the ball. A prime example of this was during the Utah Jazz’s first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets when Ricky Rubio dribbled the basketball up to the 3-point line.

Once this happened, Ricky passed the ball to Derrick Favors who was standing near the top of the key. After this occurred, Derrick dribbled the ball to the left wing and passed it to Donovan Mitchell. Mitchell took a couple of steps to the right and waited a few seconds for Rudy Gobert to set a screen.

Donovan Mitchell went over the screen and saw that Clint Capela was staying close to Gobert to prevent him from getting an easy lob. Capela’s decision gave Mitchell a path to attack the basket and ended the possession by making a layup.

NBA: 10 most underrated free agents of the 2019 offseason. dark. Next

In conclusion, the lack of teams with a need for a primary ball handler on the free agency will make it very difficult for Ricky Rubio to reach his full potential as a player.

Home/NBA Rumors