Utah Jazz: Two games in, Ricky Rubio’s efficiency in EuroBasket appears promising

Albeit in a small sample size, recently acquired Utah Jazz point guard Ricky Rubio has shot the ball extremely well in EuroBasket play thus far.

Although Ricky Rubio is one of the flashiest passers in the NBA and a savvy floor general capable of running electrifying offenses, the major knock against him that always seems to surface is his lackluster shooting percentage both from the field and from deep. When he was traded to the Utah Jazz this summer, that concern held true among the Utah faithful who, although many were excited about his potential fit with team, worried that he would diminish the Jazz’s offense.

When looking at Rubio’s career stats, it’s not hard to see why many fans would feel anxiety about that aspect of his game. Over the course of his six seasons in the league, Ricky has shot just 37.5 percent from the field and 31.5 percent from deep. Those numbers aren’t exactly jumping out at anyone, well, at least not for any of the right reasons.

Nevertheless, Rubio has shown glimpses of exceptional shooting in certain circumstances. Take the month of March during the 2016-17 season where in 14 games, he went an impressive 47.2 percent from the field on an average of 12.6 attempts per game and 43.9 percent from behind the arc on an average of 2.9 attempts per game. That efficient shooting netted him 17.8 points per game during that stretch all while still dropping over 10 dimes per contest.

Those are impressive stats by any measure. The problem for Rubio has obviously been maintaining those for any significant stretch of time. However, as Dennis Lindsey alluded to upon signing the six-year guard out of Spain, the Jazz are an organization that breathes confidence into its players and it will do so with Rubio.

With a front office, coaching staff and teammates that are all fully behind him, the Jazz ought to be able to help Ricky revitalize his career and discover new-found success in a system that figures to perfectly fit his skill set and style.

Gaining that confidence will be absolutely critical and if Rubio’s showing thus far in the 2017 EuroBasket is any sign, he should be building that belief in himself. Rubio’s Spain team has played in just two games so far, the which, as my J-Notes colleague Hayden Van de Maat recently reported, have been easy wins. Unsurprisingly, Rubio has been a big part of each of those victories.

He logged seven points and seven assists in a blowout win over Montenegro in Spain’s first game of group play, then went on to drop 17 points and five assists in a consecutive blowout over the Czech Republic. Those are encouraging figures, to be sure, but what’s stood out even more as a positive has been Rubio’s efficiency.

His shot attempts haven’t been through the roof and two games is obviously a very small sample size, but in Rubio’s two EuroBasket appearances thus far, he has shot 50 percent and 75 percent on two-pointers for an average of 66.7 percent overall, and 33.3 percent and 50 percent from deep, for an average of 42.9 percent from behind the arc overall. That has put him at a solid 53.8 percent average from the field. Not to mention, he’s perfect from the free throw line so far, which is always a nice touch.

To reiterate, I’m well aware that two games and just over a dozen shot attempts (all against weaker than NBA competition, no less) is not exactly a perfect indication of how he’ll play in the upcoming season. However, that efficiency that he has shown so far in competitive play is promising and hopefully a continuation of the trend he showed late in the season in 2016-17.

If Rubio can build off of the momentum that he built to close out the season, continue to grow his confidence in EuroBasket play, then get going on a team that is fully behind him and looking to put together a system in which he can thrive, we could very well see the most efficient and effective Ricky Rubio of his entire career.

Next: Utah Jazz: Rubio, Spain cruising through 2017 EuroBasket Tournament

I’m likely getting ahead of myself and I’ll be intrigued to see how Rubio continues to fare for the rest of EuroBasket play, but there’s no denying that thus far he is exhibiting very promising efficiency.

And if he’s able to carry that trend into the NBA regular season, thus overcoming what has been far and above his biggest weakness, he could very well solidify himself as the ideal point guard to lead the Utah Jazz both now and in the seasons to come.