The Minnesota Timberwolves got off to an impressive 4-2 start to the season but then Ricky Rubio went down with a hamstring injury that cost him four games and Minnesota lost all four of them. Rubio returned to the lineup on Tuesday night and Minnesota got back on the winning end with a victory over the Miami Heat on the road. Rubio's return was huge for Minnesota but he still may not be 100 percent over the hamstring injury, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Rubio is a talented player that the Timberwolves have really liked since drafting him back in 2009 and because of that they have heavily invested in him. To this point in his career Rubio hasn't exactly lived up to the hype that has surrounded him because of poor shooting and also, and maybe more so, because of injuries. Rubio has averaged about 50 games per season in his first four years in the NBA and that has really hindered his progress.
The 25 year old Spaniard has gotten off to a very nice start this season but the same issues are popping up again. Despite the poor shooting numbers it is abundantly clear how important Rubio is to the Timberwolves as they are 5-2 with him and 0-4 without him. Rubio didn't have a great game on Tuesday night, as he shot 1-7 from the floor in 26 minutes, but he ran the show both defensively and offensively which helped close the game out in the fourth.
"Ricky provides leadership. We don't turn the ball over. We can play with pace at times, but we also can make good decisions with the ball. It was good to have Ricky back, to have our team back," said Interim head coach Sam Mitchell.
Rubio's impact on the team goes way beyond the box score. He is averaging 9.7 assists per game and fans would love to see him shoot better from the field but he does so many little things to help the team that his presence on the floor is huge. Rubio still may not be 100 percent but he knows how important he is to the team so he came back and gutted it out for them on Tuesday night and it led to a win.
The Timberwolves play again on Wednesday night in the second half of a back-to-back and Rubio will likely be a game-time decision. Rubio said he came out of Tuesday's game feeling good but the Wolves may want to hold him out for fear of making his hamstring worse.
