It's finally here, Utah Jazz fans and fantasy basketball junkies! The breakout run of Ricky Rubio has arrived. The flashy-passing veteran has found his groove in Utah, and has now helped his team stitch together nine consecutive victories.
Quick comparison on how Rubio has turned up the switch in the past few weeks:
First 46 games: 11.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists, on 38.4 percent shooting
Last eight games: 18.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 7.6 assists, on 53.0 percent shooting
Jazz head coach Quin Snyder is pleased with his point guard's play. He shared his thoughts with reporters on Sunday:
Utah coach Quin Snyder on Ricky Rubio: "He has become acclimated to me, to system & to his teammates. He has gradually come to where he’s not having to think about so many things & he’s just playing. His decisions are good. He’s playing with confidence. That’s who we think he is"
— Kerry Eggers (@kerryeggers) February 12, 2018
In their 92-88 win last Wednesday against the Memphis Grizzlies (seventh in the nine-game winning streak), where Rubio had a game-high 29 points, he shared to reporters about his new level of confidence for the Jazz's system.
Jazz guard Ricky Rubio said he’s never felt this good offensively throughout his entire career. He’s averaging 24 pts, 8.6 asts, and 5 rebs over the last 5 games and posted 29 points tonight in a win over Memphis. “I’m confident,” he said. pic.twitter.com/F0yUdWPxqB
— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) February 8, 2018
Here's his answer when asked if he has been this comfortable offensively in his career:
“A little bit but not as much as I do now… I’m confident and I know I can bring it every night. I know it’s tough in the NBA and the defense can adjust with what they can do on a lot of things but I’m feeling good, I’m playing with confidence and I want to keep going.
At one point, you forget about everything and you go game-by-game… We had a tough schedule in December, but now it’s gonna be better and we just want to win games.”
Rubio missed Sunday's game against the Charlotte Hornets due to a hip injury. It is also unclear if he'll play Monday vs. the visiting San Antonio Spurs, but he should be back in no time.
The Jazz are 28-28 and 10th in the Western Conference standings. They are closely battling for the eighth playoff spot, along with the New Orleans Pelicans and L.A. Clippers.
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