NBA Offseason News 2014: Ricky Rubio On Pace to Become One of the Greatest Spanish Passers in NBA History
Many people have mixed emotions over Ricky Rubio. Some feel as if he's not a good enough scorer, while others feel he's a terrific passer. Ever since being drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves fifth overall in 2010, opinions have varied.
Regardless, there's no denying what Rubio has done so far in the NBA and what he's on pace to do.
After three seasons in the NBA, Ricky Rubio has accumulated 1,458 assists. At the rate Rubio is going, he is on pace to rank among the all-time greats with career assists. Rubio's assists numbers have increased all three seasons he has played. His playing time has also increased, giving fans high hopes.
Rubio draws a comparison to Hall of Fame great Johnson Stockton because of the similar playing style, position and size. Neither posses great scoring abilities, but their passing skills rank among the best against their opponents.
The most career assists by an NBA player born in Spain is held by José Calderón, who has 4,332 assists. Calderón is still playing in the league and has had one of the more underrated careers in recent memory. His 4,332 career assists rank No. 79 on the all-time list, a spot that Rubio will pass for sure.
The only two players ranked in the top 75 in career assists born outside the United States are Steve Nash and Tony Parker.
Over the next few seasons, Rubio will eventually pass Pau Gasol, Manu Ginóbili and Rolando Blackman for most assists by a Latino-born NBA player. After that, the possibilities are endless.
Ginóbili has the most career assists by a South American-born NBA player with 3,185.
The odds of Rubio ever catching Stockton in career assists at 15,806 are heavily stacked against him because Stockton played for so long and is arguably the best passer ever. Stockton also had Karl Malone (the second leading scorer ever) on his team for the majority of his career. Rubio is only 23 years old and still has a long career ahead of him.
With Kevin Love likely on his way out, it's going to be tough. Also like Stockton, Rubio is becoming a fantastic stealer of the basketball. Last season, he led the league with 190 steals, 23 more than anybody else.
Some point guards don't have the passing abilities to succeed long-term. Others are incredibly talented, but their court vision is limited and don't possess the pinpoint passing capability. Examples include Russell Westbrook and Derrick Rose, who can score and shoot better than Rubio but can't pass nearly as well. Rubio averages 8.1 assists per game, more than 1 more per game than both Westbrook and Rose.
There's a great chance that Rubio will end his career with more than 10,000 career assists, putting him in the same category with hall of Famer's such as Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson.
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