Prospect Profile: Ricky Rubio

In the days leading up to the NBA Draft Lottery on May 29, NYKnicks.com will look at the top-rated players available to teams with lottery picks in the 2009 NBA Draft. We offer these profiles for fans to familiarize themselves with some of the biggest names in the draft. A player's inclusion in this series of articles is based purely on his ranking in the scouting services and mainstream media and does not necessarily reflect the Knicks organization's preferences for the June 25 Draft at the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden.

We continue our series with a profile of Spanish phenom Ricky Rubio, a consensus top-two pick according to major scouting services and numerous publications.

He’s 18 years old, already an Olympic silver medalist and has been a dominant starting point guard in Europe’s toughest league since he was 16.

He has been one of the most enigmatic young players in the history of the sport for the past few years, with every die hard hoops fan hearing about the charismatic mop-topped Spaniard who has drawn comparisons to “Pistol” Pete Maravich and the Knicks own legend Walt “Clyde” Frazier for his ability to make the flashy pass and willing his team to victory.

Obviously, Ricky Rubio is not your average NBA prospect.

A 6-foot-4, 180-pound point guard, Rubio is a natural born floor leader with a multi-talented skill set and tough grit to go along with an incredibly high basketball IQ. As steady with the ball as he is crafty with a flair for the dramatic, he epitomizes what an NBA point guard should be.

Fans first heard of him after a stunning performance during the 2006 Under-16 Eurocup Championship. The Barcelona native registered three triple-doubles and one quadruple-double in seven games, and then outdid himself in a 110-106 double-overtime victory over Russia by recording 51 points, 24 boards, 12 assists and seven steals. He also hit a half-court buzzer beater to force the first overtime in the championship game.

Unfortunately, most never had the pleasure of seeing Rubio play until he used the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing as his coming out party, proving to the world that all the hype was justified. The 18-year old backed up Jose Calderon and played alongside other NBA stars such as Pau Gasol, Rudy Fernandez and Marc Gasol while averaging 4.8 points, 4.0 boards and 3.0 assists. Those stats are quite remarkable, as they are on par with some of the best point guards in the world, such as Chris Paul, who averaged 8.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists for the United States.

Equally impressive, Rubio put forth his best performances against the U.S. while being guarded by the likes of LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Paul. In his first game against the “Redeem Team,” he scored eight points, pulled down three boards, dished three assists and had three steals in just 18 minutes of action. Then, in the gold medal game, he finished with six points, six boards, three assists and three steals in 29 minutes.

Rubio most recently played for DKV Joventut in the Spanish ACB and Euroleague, dominating what is considered the top league in the world outside of the NBA. While scouts agree that he lacks top end athleticism and needs to work on his shot, all signs point to him being one of the most dominating and popular players in the NBA for years to come.