Following a pair of disappointing seasons in Spain since the Timberwolves took him with the fifth overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, Ricky Rubio had plenty of doubters when he chose to come to the U.S. and join Minnesota last summer.
But Rubio hasn’t wasted any time trying to prove his doubters wrong.
“I don’t want to show everybody [anything],” Rubio said before scoring 10 points and adding 10 assists to help the Timberwolves to a 108-105 victory over the Nets last night at Prudential Center. “I know what I can do, what I’m able to do, and I’m working hard to do it.
“I know I have to improve a lot, but it’s in my mind. I don’t need to show, or to prove, anybody.”
It didn’t take long for those doubters to quickly go away, as Rubio has taken the league by storm in his rookie season. Though his overall numbers — 11.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 8.7 assists and 2.1 steals per game — it’s his ability to see the floor and make jaw-dropping passes that has made he, and the Timberwolves, one of the league’s most entertaining teams to watch.
“He knows where all of his teammates are,” Nets coach Avery Johnson said. “[He’s] just an extraordinary passer. There are certain guys when I’m watching video and I’m preparing for a game that I’ve got to maybe run something back and rewind it, and a couple of his plays, I had to rewind. … It reminded me of some guys that I played against in the past.”
When Johnson, a championship-winning point guard with the Spurs, was asked what players he was reminded of, he threw out some impressive names.
“Guys like [Hall of Famer John] Stockton, guys that are really good passers,” Johnson said. “I wouldn’t dare say he’s Magic Johnson … but [he] just [has] that type of court vision?”
Perhaps the biggest surprise about Rubio’s game has been his shooting ability. After arriving with serious doubts about how effective his jump shot would be, he is shooting almost 35 percent from 3-point range.
“He’s going to make shots,” Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman said. “Like all young guys, it’s going to take him some time. But he’s got a shot that’s going to go down … he just has to get comfortable with it.
tbontemps@nypost.com