Utah Jazz: Ricky Rubio could be on the verge of a breakout

After a rough start, Ricky Rubio rebounded to have a career year for the Utah Jazz last season. He could take another step forward this year.

Utah Jazz point guard Ricky Rubio‘s NBA life has been a volatile one for the lion’s share of his seven-year run. His teams in Minnesota enjoyed little success on the hardwood and featured a revolving door of teammates and coaches. That chapter culminated in Rubio’s last coach —  Tom Thibodeau — essentially running him out of town.

Even last season, after making the move to Salt Lake City, he encountered more than his share of difficulty, particularly during the first half of the year. His transition to the Jazz was bumpy; his floor game floundered, the team lost games early and an injury or two popped up along the way.

However, heading into his second full season in Utah, Rubio is primed to reach new heights as a basketball player. At day three of training camp, he indicated that being in a stable situation with a level of continuity should unleash his potential for bigger and better things.

Said Rubio, via UtahJazz.com —

"“It’s weird, you know. The last five years in the league, coming to training camp, it was learning something new. Different coaches every year. This year, it seems like I know all the systems and I feel much more comfortable. So, my game can get to another level.”"

Rubio isn’t blowing smoke. After having four different coaches over his final four years with the Wolves, he’ll be playing in the same system, under the same coach in Quin Snyder, for the second consecutive year. That’s something that hasn’t happened since his early days with Rick Adelman.

Meanwhile, Jazzman Joe Ingles noted on Media Day that this will be the first time since he joined the team that there will be similar continuity at the point guard position.

That newfound level of familiarity is no small thing.

Over the second half of the season, once Rubio was more accustomed to his new team, what it expected from him and how he could be successful in Snyder’s system, he performed at something approaching an All-Star level. He was particularly strong down the stretch as the Jazz battled for postseason position.

In his last 15 games, Rubio averaged nearly 17 points, six assists and two steals per contest. He also hit on 48 percent of his 3-point shots, an area of his game that has long been a bugbear among hoops pundits.

That level of play followed him into the playoffs, where he dropped 26 points, 11 boards and 10 dimes in Game 3 of the Jazz’s first-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Had he been available to play in the second round against the Houston Rockets, there’s no doubting the Jazz would’ve put up more of a fight in the series.

Rubio and the team are looking for that forward progress to continue in 2018-19.

Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey has oft cited Jason Kidd as an example of the kind of impact Rubio can have on the Jazz as a floor general. And while comparisons to a generational talent and Hall of Famer are unfair to say the least, there’s a method to the madness there.

Simply put, good things happen when Rubio is on the floor. As was the case throughout Kidd’s career, inconsistent though his jump shot may have been.

Once the Jazz freed themselves of net negatives Joe Johnson and Rodney Hood at the 2018 trade deadline, Rubio became a hugely positive player in the 801. The Jazz outscored opponents by more than 16 points per 100 possessions when he was on the court after February 8; the best mark on the team and one of the better ones league-wide.

An offseason free of organizational turmoil, followed by a training camp populated by the same quality players and coaches he worked with last season — not to mention the addition of his mentor and former teammate, Raul Lopez, to the staff — should only serve to solidify his status as a force on the floor for the Jazz.

In spite of some growing pains, year seven was a career year for Rubio. If all goes according to plan, year eight could finally be the breakout.