Ricky Rubio has shown improvement in his perimeter shooting this season. The Utah Jazz court general has never been known as a lethal scoring guard, but he has made strides to gain some measure of respect from opposing defenses. Unlike in previous years, Rubio is more confident in taking shots today, as he just finished the regular season with career highs in field goal attempts and 3-point shots per contest with 10.7 and 3.5, respectively.
Having said all of that, Rubio is first and foremost a playmaker, and he would be the first one to admit that he should not have taken a ton of shots in their 116-108 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1. In a published story by Kyle Goon of The Salt Lake Tribune, Rubio was clearly aware that he needs to pump the breaks a little bit in terms of his aggressiveness on offense.
“I’ve been feeling more comfortable lately with my shot, but I know being aggressive is one thing, and taking a lot of shots is another. Gonna still be taking my shots but looking for my teammates.”
In the series opener, Rubio went a horrendous 5-for-18 shooting from the field to finish with 13 points. He also added seven rebounds and five assists in 31 minutes on the floor.
With Rubio acknowledging the adjustment he needs to make, he is now expected to dish the rock more in Game 2, though, it would not be surprising to still see him take shots when he’s left open.
Rubio averaged 13.1 points in the regular season on 41.8 field goal shooting percentage — both career-best numbers — but it came at the expense of his assist numbers, as he averaged a career-low 5.3 dimes in his first season in a Jazz uniform.
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