MINNEAPOLIS — Ricky Rubio's arrival has made Timberwolves fans feel a range of emotions. Hope and excitement, those were to be expected. But fewer people predicted the almost nightly impatience the rookie point guard's arrival has caused.
For all the hype, all the fanfare, Rubio has yet to start a game. But the fans who invariably begin to chant his name at some point in the first quarter each night should try to wrap their minds around this: Rubio not starting may actually be a good thing, at least for now.
Although Rubio has yet to take the court at tipoff, he's averaging 27.7 minutes per game, fourth most on the team and more than two starters: Darko Milicic and Wes Johnson. In fact, Rubio has been the point guard of choice when the game matters most, in the fourth quarter. He's played all 12 fourth-quarter minutes in every game, and he's been the spark that, at times, has powered the Timberwolves offense late in games.
"I know a lot of people put a lot of importance on starting, but to us it doesn't matter who starts," Wolves forward-center Anthony Tolliver said. "It's about winning and making winning plays down the stretch."
In fact, Tolliver said, getting the opportunity to close out games is probably a bigger show of confidence than getting the nod to start from coach Rick Adelman, and Rubio has done everything to deserve that trust. He's scored 35 of his 66 points this season in the fourth quarter, and his speed and passing abilities have energized the Timberwolves, who have outscored their opponents 168-150 in the final period.
Although Rubio's fourth-quarter numbers have diminished a bit in recent games, scoring does seem to be the key to his late-game success. For a player known most for his passing skills, the point guard's fourth-quarter numbers tell a different story. Only 16 of Rubio's 47 season assists — 34 percent, compared to 53 percent of his total points — have come in the game's final quarter, proving that he's taking a more active scoring role late in games.
Rubio, who described his time thus far in the NBA as a dream come true, is pleased with his current role. Like Tolliver, he knows which minutes count most and said playing well in the fourth quarter requires a different mindset.
"Sometimes you have to take more decisions because it's when the game gets to the end," Rubio said. "All 48 minutes are important, but the last minutes you have to be focused because a turnover or something, that can be the game."
He also seems aware that becoming a starter is something that comes with time, a designation that deserves respect. That's why he's so uncomfortable when he hears the first stirrings of his name being called by the crowd each night. Instead of cheering for him to enter the game, Rubio said, he wishes fans would focus on the five players currently on the court.
As much as the soft-spoken 21-year-old would love to shift some attention to his teammates, that doesn't seem likely to happen anytime soon. When Adelman began fielding questions about Rubio starting after just three games, he must have known the inquiries had just begun, but he and Timberwolves president David Kahn maintain that the decision of when to start Rubio is still in progress.
"He's playing significant minutes down the stretch and overall, some games as many as 30," Kahn said on a KFAN FOXSportsNorth.com livestream Friday. "It's just too early to start putting determinations and judgments on that. These things tend to evolve over time."
For now, Rubio and his teammates are grateful for the young point guard's role, however Adelman chooses to define it. Fellow point guard Luke Ridnour said he's simply happy to have another talented player sharing his position, someone who can put even more pressure on the defense. The fourth quarter may be one of the few times when he overcomes his near aversion to Rubio-mania, the few minutes when he wholly enjoys the applause.
"I don't know how can I describe the feeling that you have when the game is finishing and you're up by 10," Rubio said. "Everybody's happy. The crowd is amazing."
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