It felt good to see Donovan Mitchell explode for 38 points against Houston, but now the Utah Jazz need Ricky Rubio to find some rhythm of his own.
There’s no doubt that in the early portions of the regular season, it takes time for some players to get going and play ball at a high level. That may be the case for Ricky Rubio, who hasn’t looked like himself throughout the first four games for the Utah Jazz in 2018-19.
This isn’t the first time Rubio has struggled at the start of the new season, and that’s okay. When Rubio is locked in and playing well, he’s a guy you can count on for all kinds of production. He’s playing more off the ball this year, which has got to be different for him.
In four games this season, Rubio is averaging just 6.0 points and 6.3 assists. He’s shooting 22 percent from the field and 29 percent from downtown.
Over the last two games, Rubio is a combined 1-16 from the field. He’s getting good looks, but just can’t buy a shot right now. The key is that he needs to stay confident and keep shooting. Players are going to go under screens and leave him open until he proves he can knock down that shot consistently, like he did during the second half of last season.
I’d like to see him attack the basket more often and try to get to the free-throw line, where he has been money throughout his entire career. He’s a career 87 percent free-throw shooter. He’s trying too hard to draw fouls on the perimeter by throwing his body into players while going up for a jump-shot (which really needs to stop, by the way.)
Rubio’s backcourt mate Donovan Mitchell struggled throughout the first three games of the season as well, but went bonkers against the Rockets on Wednesday night. He scored 38 points and played like he always does. Missing shots isn’t going to make him stop shooting, which is the right mentality to have. The shots will start falling eventually.
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Things won’t be easy for Rubio in Utah’s next game against New Orleans. He’ll be going up against a very good defensive backcourt in Elfrid Payton and Jrue Holiday. However, he did have a lot of success against New Orleans last year. On March 11th of last season, Rubio went off for 30 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in New Orleans.
The point I’m trying to make is that Rubio needs to stay confident and trust his jump-shot. He’s come a long way, and that shot can really be a weapon at times. When he’s hot, he’s REALLY good. When he’s off, it’s a major blow to the team. Utah needs a big game out of him, and I expect him to find his rhythm soon.