Minnesota Timberwolves: Top 15 draft picks in franchise history
By Ben Beecken
player. 86. . PG. Spain, 2009 (No. 5). Ricky Rubio. 5
- Six seasons with the Timberwolves (2011-17)
- Averaged 10.3 points, 8.5 assists, and two steals per game
Let the controversy begin.
Ricky Rubio was a worthy fifth-overall selection back in 2009; there was zero shock when the pick was announced. The Timberwolves, after all, held the No. 6 pick as well, and surely would take both Rubio and Davidson Wildcats guard Stephen Curry as they continued their ongoing rebuild.
Instead, the Timberwolves picked up Syracuse Orange point guard Jonny Flynn, doubling down on the point guard position and essentially ensuring that Rubio wouldn’t come stateside immediately.
While the Flynn-over-Curry mishap obviously factors in here, the Rubio selection has to be evaluated on its own merits. And the pick holds up as a solid decision.
Rubio arrived in Minnesota prior to the lockout-shortened 2011-12 NBA season to incredible fanfare. He was a revelation early on, dazzling in his NBA debut.
Overall, Rubio still had a solid rookie season, averaging 10.6 points, 8.2 assists, and 2.2 steals per game before tearing his ACL in a March game against the Lakers He only shot 35.7 percent from the field, however, and there wasn’t much improvement for year two.
That could have largely been chalked up to recovery from knee surgery, and while year three was more of the same, it was still his first full season after the ACL tear. But then, in year four, Rubio suffered a severe ankle sprain and only appeared in 22 games, not looking like himself when he did play.
His final two years in Minnesota featured marginal improvement when it came to shooting efficiency, although the distribution numbers faltered a bit. After spending his first three years with Rick Adelman as his head coach, Rubio played for three different coaches in the next three years, which surely had an effect on his overall production.
Rubio was traded to Utah in the summer of 2017 as head coach and front office boss Tom Thibodeau made room to sign veteran Jeff Teague in free agency, whom he had identified as a better fit next to the newly acquired Jimmy Butler on the perimeter.
Rubio is one of the most popular players to ever play for the Timberwolves, and was consistently one of the best assist and steal men in the NBA. He ranks second in franchise history in assists and steals, second only to Kevin Garnett in both categories.