1. The Pace is quicker in North America
In the Euroleague, the game is a lot more of a half-court game. The players are not as fast and teams are not as focussed on getting on the fast break. Also, with most defenses being zones overseas, it is difficult to have a game that can compete with Rubio's passing. Since Rubio has been in the NBA, because of his passing, he has been able to keep up with the NBA on the break. The NBA has some of the quickest basketball players in the world and the NBA is the only league where Rubio's passing would succeed. It's almost like putting Steve Nash or Jason Kidd in FC Barcelona and telling them to play like the NBA. It would be impossible because the styles are just that different. With guys like Kevin Love, Derrick Williams, and Michael Beasley who can all run, it makes it that much easier for Ricky Rubio to make a ton of highlights. Because the game is quicker, it makes it easier for Rubio to put up shots. When people thought he couldn't shoot in a faster paced game, he's proved his critics wrong, scoring 10.8 points per game as a starter which is not bad for a rookie point guard who is also averaging 8.7 assists per game; an amazing stat for a rookie point guard.2. He has done it with against NBA players before
People tend to forget that Ricky Rubio had played against the best NBA players before his first NBA season. His first game against NBA talent was in the 2008 Summer Olympics when he faced the Redeem team twice. In the two games that he faced them, he averaged 7 points per game and 3.5 assists as a seventeen year old while facing guys like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, and Dwight Howard. Then in 2010, as a 19 year old, he faced the 2010 FIBA USA team that had Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose. In that game, he only had 6 points and 3 assists. Then that same year, he faced a Kobe-less Laker team in a preseason game and got a win against the Lakers. In that game, Rubio would be held scoreless, but he got 3 assists. Despite the low numbers, the fact that he was able to score 7 points as a 17 year old against NBA superstars and play against NBA type teams three times is a great way to get a guy like that prepared for a full NBA season. It also helps when on the 2008 and 2010 teams, he was able to play with many NBA players such as Pau Gasol, Marc Gasol, Jose Caulderon, Rudy Fernandez, Carlos Jimenez, Jorge Garbajosa, and Juan Carlos Navarro. With playing with and against talent like that, there is no surprise at all that Ricky Rubio is turning out to be the player a lot of people have wanted him to be.3. He's Been a Professional Ever Since He Was a Teenager
Ricky Rubio has been a pro for a while. You can say that he is a veteran professional basketball player. Rubio has been playing professional basketball since he was 16 when he made his Euroleague for FC Barcelona on October 24, 2006. With having that much experience in being a pro, it makes the transition into the NBA easier for Rubio than rookie players who are coming out of college. Rubio knows what it's like to travel on the road, he knows how to live like an adult in the life as a professional. He also knows how to deal with the professional basketball media in some way and he's helped his Barcelona team win a championship. With that in mind, he had a lot of leverage over his rookie counterparts, since they were only in college the year before. That means that college players going to the NBA have to get used to playing against the best players in the world, whereas Rubio has been doing it for six years. This all gives him a huge head start as he has shown in the first chapter of his NBA career.Ricky Rubio is not a player that should surprise the basketball fan. He is a veteran professional basketball player that is playing in the style that fits for him. With him averaging veteran point guard numbers now, there's a good chance he could one day become one of the greatest point guards to ever play the game.
