Hailed as a child prodigy, Rubio is a 17-year-old Spanish point guard whom some NBA types consider a possible No. 1 overall pick someday. The 17-year-old Spanish point guard is playing in his first Olympics and senior international tournament . He's a perfect storm of looks, style, generation and internationalism.
The story thus far...
At 14, Rubio played in Spain's ACB, the top pro league outside of the NBA, for DKV Joventut Badalona near his hometown of El Masnou. The lanky, 6-foot-3 floor general is the youngest player to ever appear in the Spanish League.
At 15, he led Spain to FIBA's Under 16 European title, along the way registering a quadruple-double and, in a double-overtime win over Russia in the final, 51 points, 24 rebounds, 12 assists, seven steals and one half-court buzzer-beater to force the first OT.
At 16, he led the Euroleague (a man's league) in steals (a man's stat).
Last year, he averaged 10.5 points and 4.0 assists in 23 minutes per game as the starting point guard for DKV Joventut.
"He's the real deal," said one Eastern Conference general manager. "He could be the No. 1 player picked next year if he were to declare for the draft. He's going to be a top five pick for sure."
But you can already see the benefits of exposure to older players -- the even emotional keel, fearlessness, and willingness to give and take contact. At the offensive end, there's the Mediterranean expressiveness, once exemplified by the late Drazen Petrovic. During Saturday night's 119-82 U.S. defeat of Spain, Rubio showcased off-the-dribble lob passes for alley-oop dunks and intuitive wrap-around passes to bigs in the lane.
"He's a real point guard, he defends, he plays hard and he's got some pizzazz to his game," the GM said. "The kid just knows how to play. He's been playing with men the past three or four years, for one of the better teams in Spain."
One thing you don't usually find in young guards with show in their games is the defensive intangibles.
He saved Spain in pool play against China, helping lead his team from 15 points down and somehow stealing the ball on a crucial possession from China guard Liu Wei at the end of regulation.
Then, in the middle of the second quarter Saturday night against Team USA, he flat-out stole the ball from LeBron James in the halfcourt.
Flashy but disciplined, the dark-haired Rubio has been compared to Pete Maravich for his looks and Magic Johnson for his passing ability. He needs to add bulk and improve his jumper a bit, but scouts say he's got a feel for the game that can't be taught. They also say he's an aggressive, Manu Ginobili-like defender and highly competitive, but cool under pressure.
