Ricky Rubio was OK with being traded to the Utah Jazz; he felt it was time that he and the Minnesota Timberwolves moved on from one another. Rubio is excited about how he’ll fit in with the Jazz, especially with center Rudy Gobert. From 1280 The Zone (transcribed by EuroHoops):
“With Rudy Gobert, I can really set up plays for him and make his life easier on the court,” Rubio said. “I never played in the NBA yet with a center that can really jump that high and I can throw lobs to. It fits my game really well. I can play the best pick n’ roll with him.”
Gobert is indeed a monster in the pick-and-roll. However, his comment insinuates that he’s never played with an elite roll man, which isn’t quite true; he played with one last season:
As roll men
Gobert: 1.38 PPP, 2.5 poss/game. 95.4 percentile
KAT: 1.23 PPP, 4.4 poss/game. 88.1 percentileGobert better but both elite https://t.co/55YPYyBUhF
— David Morrow (@_DavidMorrow) August 3, 2017
Rubio is also excited to play with Joe Ingles, who shot 44.1 percent from beyond the arc last season (third-best mark among qualified players):
“With Rudy Gobert, I can really set up plays for him and make his life easier on the court,” Rubio said. “I never played in the NBA yet with a center that can really jump that high and I can throw lobs to. It fits my game really well. I can play the best pick n’ roll with him.”
