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Is the Timberwolves' Ricky Rubio still underrated?

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio might be going into his sixth NBA season, but he still seems to be consistently underrated by many in basketball circles.

Ricky Rubio is a player whose value seems to be consistently debated. While virtually all fans seem to recognize his superb passing ability, a far amount of disagreement remains regarding Rubio’s defense, plus exactly what his offensive contributions equal.

Indeed, Rubio’s poor shooting is undeniable. While apparently improving, the ability to finish at the rim and in the paint simply isn’t there.

But is the passing ability enough to overcome the shooting shortcomings? Perhaps not on it’s own, but factoring in defensive ability, both one-on-one and in help situations, and his defensive rebounding prowess and things do more than even out.

FanSided’s own Hoops Habit ranked Rubio as the #1 player needing a breakout season in 2016-17. Here’s what the piece reads, in part.

For those who have been paying attention, Ricky Rubio has already established himself as one of the NBA’s elite defenders for his position, a dynamic passer and an underrated part of what limited success the Minnesota Timberwolves have had over the last few years.

Has he lived up to the pre-draft hype that surrounded him when he first came stateside? No. Will he ever be able to live down how the Wolves passed on Stephen Curry for him (and Jonny Flynn) in the 2009 NBA Draft? Probably not.

But focusing on those things ignores how the Timberwolves have gone 114-164 in the games Rubio’s been healthy for since he first entered the league…as opposed to an atrocious 28-88 in the 116 games he’s missed for his career.

Indeed, the pre-draft hype was out of control — Rubio as never going to be Pistol Pete Marovich. But as the writer points out, don’t discount just how much better the Wolves are when the Spanird is on the court.

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Additionally, Matt Moore of CBS Sports ranked the most overrated player on every team in the NBA, and Rubio was listed as the Timberwolves’ representative on this particular list.

Here’s what Moore had to say:

Rubio entered the league with insane hype, and has largely underperformed relative to that thanks to the “Dr. Dre’s ‘Detox'” of jump shots. (One day it’s going to be released.) But now he’s largely been cast aside, and any examination of the Wolves’ plus-minus data on any level indicates he makes the team better on both ends of the floor. A brilliant passer and supremely underrated defender, if Rubio is traded he’s going to help the next team he’s on.

Another solid take. Wolves fans are no doubt not used to seeing this amount of level-headedness from the national media regarding Ricky Rubio.

The idea that Rubio has “largely been cast aside” seems a bit brash; Tom Thibodeau and Scott Layden have repeatedly talked about the value that the veteran point guard brings to the table. And even if they were looking to trade Rubio (and likely still are very open to the idea), that certainly doesn’t mean that he’s been ‘cast aside’.

As I’ve stated continuously here at Dunking With Wolves, it seems highly likely the Timberwolves will open the season with Rubio as the starter, as Thibodeau isn’t about to start a season during which he wants to make the playoffs with a rookie at point guard.

Mid-season or summer of 2017 is absolutely a possibility, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s likely.

That said, anything could happen. Nobody really knows as of yet what kind of front office Thibodeau and Layden will run, and we don’t exactly know what kind of roster they want to surround the likes of Karl-Anthony Towns, Zach LaVine, and Andrew Wiggins with.

Keep an eye on preseason and what the back court rotations look like. How will Thibodeau split playing time between the veteran in Rubio and the #5-overall draft pick in Dunn? Only time will tell.

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