Luka’s Corner

Stepping away from the US team, one of the most interesting storylines of these games was how Ricky Rubio would play for Spain. Considered to be "the next big thing" by many scouts and often dubbed the Spanish version of "Pistol" Pete Maravich, Rubio is only 17 years old and will most likely apply for the NBA draft next year.

Looking at Rubio play against the United States in pool play and against Lithuania in the semifinal round (Jose Calderon sat out due to injury), one thing was very clear: Ricky Rubio is one of the best defenders in the world at this point and has a chance to be the best in the world in that regard, including the NBA. He is capable of pressuring the opposing team’s guards for a full 94 feet of hardwood and can disrupt everybody in the backcourt on rotations and pick-and-rolls. I have never seen a guard steal the ball the way Rubio has in these Olympics. When the opponent’s big man rebounds the ball in the backcourt and hands it off to the point guard, Rubio trails behind the play and either deflects the pass or steals it from the dribbler. That is extremely effective in disrupting the other team’s offense and, even if Rubio fails to steal the ball, the offensive player spends so much time looking for him that another Spanish player can easily steal the ball instead.

In these Olympics, Rubio has played against the best that basketball has to offer. Even against Team USA, Rubio was a pest against Chris Paul and Deron Williams, two of the best point guards in the world. Defending against Jason Kidd, Rubio used his superior quickness to really trouble Kidd. In the semifinal against Lithuania, Rubio had to go up against Sarunas Jasikevicius, perhaps the best PG in Europe. And, surprisingly, Rubio took the more experienced Lithuanian out of his game. He pressured Jasikevicius in the backcourt and gave him no space on pick-and-rolls, not to mention that he stopped the Lithuanian from scoring and handing out assists. Known for his leadership on the court, Jasikevicius was "bamboozled" (in the words of Charles Barkley) when matched up against Rubio.

I would compare Rubio’s defense to that of a Rajon Rondo or Delonte West, but two times better even at this point in his career. Like Rondo and West, he gives the dribbler no space in the backcourt, but he gets more steals than those two and is a higher-level pest. I look forward to seeing Rubio in the final against Team USA and in the NBA soon because he can achieve superstardom on the defensive end. If a team like Memphis or Seattle drafts the Spaniard, they will truly have a game-changer on their side.