Here’s Ricky! Rubio’s Return Should Be Huge

The Minnesota Timberwolves look to finish the season strong under the guidance of returning point guard Ricky Rubio.

Have you ever watched something so beautiful that it made you want to cry? Have you met anyone that has such a light spirit about them that their presence alone picks you up? Have you had someone say, “Change this face. Be happy! Enjoy.” If you can say yes to any of these scenarios, you may have experienced the angelic presence of one Ricky Rubio. Or, like me, watched him delight you with his all-world vision and precision passing on the court through your television or computer screen at home.

Everyone knew that Kevin Love was gone years ago. The fact that the Timberwolves were able to turn it into Andrew Wiggins was a huge break for their fans. And while this Timberwolves team looked a lot like a group of Timberpups in age and experience, the perfectly happy and able Ricky Rubio was going to be there to guide these youngsters from the point. Except, as has happened so often in recent years, the barrage of injuries suffered by the Wolves continued, and Rubio suffered a serious ankle injury in early November, playing in just five games coming in to this week, missing 42. In cruel fashion, a team already stripped of its scoring leader during the off-season lost their point man as well.

However, Rubio made his triumphant return this past Monday against the Dallas Mavericks and played 21 minutes in a 100-94 loss.

The return of Rubio is huge for the Timberwolves. While the roster is stacked with high upside potential, most of that potential is still a few years away from hitting anything close to a prime. The team has lacked consistency and quality in the absence of their best player. Rubio is back, even if he does have a minute restriction in his return. However, his impact for the Wolves remaining has been immediately noticeable.

Rubio has looked good in limited minutes during his return. Against the Mavericks, he shot 4-of-9, notching three assists and grabbing three rebounds, scoring 10. Ricky put in 23 minutes against the Miami Heat two nights later. He scored eight points on 1-of-3 shooting, but was able to get eight shots from the line, going 6-of-8. Ricky’s ability to distribute the ball was also on display and he put up nine assists, swiping two steals. The steals were particularly encouraging, bringing back some signs of that top-tier defense that the Wolves could so badly use.

The outlook for the Timberwolves with Rubio is a mixed bag to some extent; Rubio brings a very high level of skill and positivity to a very young team that is ready to learn, but will have to do so more in practice because of a decrease in playing time. He will elevate the play of his teammates, creating opportunities that no one else on the roster is capable of making possible thanks to his stellar passing skill and superior court vision. He was more than a step slow on a lot of defensive possessions in both games, more so against the Spurs, but as he gets acclimated to playing regular minutes again, and learns to trust his ankle, he should return to being a crafty pick-pocket.

The biggest question mark for the Wolves down the stretch will most likely be playing time distribution. Assuming that Rubio gradually resumes a majority of point duties and plays near his career level minutes, it will mean fewer minutes for the teams other guards. How will this impact the playing time of Mo Williams and Zach LaVine? Williams and LaVine have shared the court in just 17 games at an average of 3.7 minutes per game, fitting both of those players into the rotation becomes even more difficult when it appears that they are reaching a point of being mutually exclusive options. But this isn’t all bad, LaVine is quite young and stands to learn a great deal from Rubio about running the point and handling the ball, while Williams is a more potent offensive threat than Rubio. Who knows, maybe Rubio will learn a few dunks from LaVine in exchange for some passing technique?

The schedule for the Wolves in Rubio’s return is going to be a trial by fire, after dropping one to the Spurs and squeaking out a victory against the slumping Heat, they have to go through the Grizzlies, Pistons, Hawks and Warriors before making it into the All-Star break. While playing time may be a premium for some of the younger players, they will also have an opportunity to soak in the knowledge, experience and skill of the league’s most beloved point guard.

Head coach Flip Saunders clearly sees the value in Rubio being on the court, just two nights after pulling him on a minutes restriction late in a close game at San Antonio, he allowed Rubio to stay on the floor to close out a win on their home floor against the Heat. During the final moments in which the Heat failed to convert multiple chances, there was Rubio, throwing his body wherever it needed to go in a defensive effort to secure the win, just the ninth for the Timberwolves this season.

The Timberwolves are almost a lock for one of the top lottery spots in the 2015 draft, but the return of Rubio brings a huge boost in that Positive Mental Approach and a big time chance for the pups to grow into Wolves.