Smills91 wrote:ICMTM wrote:Smills91 wrote:I like Rubio, but I don't want you all to get your hopes up either. His athleticism, quickness/speed and agility are all average to below average. While he'll certainly be brilliant is some aspects of the game, he could have some strong deficiencies and challenges in other realms.
So is Mike Bibby in terms of speed/quickness etc etc.
If we were to look at the PG position based purely on athleticism Jennings would be the lock! In fact comparing the two I still believe Rubio fits the PG prototype better. Jennings however would far better fit the offense we've ran in the past. I only say "past" because we are rebuilding. Who knows if the Princeton style offense will still be a Kings staple in the years to come.
That's another thing....Bibby can shoot, Rubio's a below average shooter too. I'm just mentioning the red flags here. I still think he's good, and will have at worst a solid career, but people on this board think he's the next Jason Kidd(with a jumper). I don't think that's entirely accurate.
I'd take Rubio over Jennings 10 times out of 10...Jennings is the exact OPPOSITE player as Rubio IMO. All athleticism with minimal SKILLS. Rubio is ALL skills with minimal athleticism.
I don't think Rubio's game resembles Kidd's really at all. In Kidd's younger years, he was able to dominate using primarily his quickness (he absolutely killed at Cal). Rubio has to rely on other skills and I think that is what will make him a unique point guard. I've watched him play pretty extensively and I just love how easy he makes the game look. And, I understand the competition will vastly increase and he will have to guard better athletes at the NBA level, but I think he is a smart enough player to make it happen. He just always seems to be in control of the game which is a valuable skill for a PG.
Also, the concerns about his jump shot shouldn't be a deal breaker at all. Bibby was a poor 3-pt shooter (something like 25% his first season) when he came into the league too. I remember reading an article about how he would shoot thousands of jump shots a day over one off-season and then he vastly improved. Jump shooting is an improvable skill. I think quickness and athleticism are red flags but Rubio and Jennings played against each other last December (in one of Ricky's first few games after the injury so he essentially was playing with one hand) and he blew by Jennings effortlessly a couple of times. I know its a small sample size, but he is quicker than a lot of people give him credit for. Also, the play in the Olympics where he schools Kidd by going around his back is priceless.
I'm not saying that he is going to be a Hall of Famer or anything like that. I just don't think he should be written off as the definite #2 for us behind Griffin. The positives and negatives of Griffin's game are another story, but I think RIcky has a legit shot at being the best player in this draft 15 years from now.
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