Timberwolves Milestone Watch

Oct 24, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio (9) passes the ball past Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson (22) during the third quarter at Scottrade Center. Minnesota defeated Chicago 113-112. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Ricky Rubio

Milestones to watch: Assists, Steals

In every season except for his second year when he was coming back from his torn ACL, Ricky has come into the season with high expectations from fans. In two of those three seasons, he missed a large chunk of games, first due to the aforementioned ACL and last year with a high ankle sprain.

In the 2013-14 season, Ricky played all 82 games. He racked up 704 assists that year (8.6 per game) and also led the league with 191 steals (2.3 per game). I fully expect Ricky to play in the majority of games this year, mostly because he can’t continue to be so unlucky with his health.

Based on those numbers, Ricky is aiming for a milestones on both sides of the ball this season. He is currently sitting at 1,651 assists, putting him well in range of hitting the 2,000 assist mark by the end of the season. If he is indeed able to play in most of the games, he could even put himself within a couple hundred of 2,500 assists.

Ricky has always been an underrated defender. His on-ball defense is pretty good, and his ability to jump passing lanes is among the best in the league. He has 457 steals at this point in his career; based on what he accomplished in his healthy season, he could pass 600 steals and be well on his way to 700 by the time the season ends.

Next: The Cagey Veteran Point Guard