Is tonight the night Scott Skiles‘ single-game record of 30 dimes goes down?
We have to ask because tonight is the first matchup between Steve Nash‘s Suns and Ricky Rubio‘s Timberwolves. Unless you hate passing, you know that Rubio, the Spaniard, has been linked to Nash, the Canadian, for their passports, long hair and longer list of passing exploits since each became a professional. And while the squad surrounding Nash isn’t close to their 7-seconds-or-less days — and Rubio’s teammates are still realizing potential — anything could happen with these two floor generals.
Turns out, however, that a younger Nash has more than just a passing similarity to Rubio’s rookie development. When Nash was a 22-year-old for Phoenix out of Santa Clara, his start didn’t lead many to believe he would become a two-time MVP. He averaged a little more than 10 minutes per game, with 3.3 points and 2.1 assists. Unlike Rubio, who’s been playing professionally since he was a teen in Spain, he wasn’t given many opportunities to play on those early Suns teams.
But then check out each player’s rookie numbers per 36 minutes and the comparison comes back into focus:
2012 Rubio: 11.3 points, 8.8 assists, 3.4 turnovers, 36 percent from the field, 35 percent from three.
1997 Nash: 11.2 points, 7.3 assists, 3.3 turnovers, 42 percent from the field, 42 percent from three.
Even better, compare some of their best highlights from the first years of their career and take your pick.
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Here, Rubio threads a nearly impossible angle to Derrick Williams on the break.
Go to No. 9, at 0:16, to see a dime from Nash’s first two years, a three-quarter court alley-oop that shows his fast-break work. It’s the only young highlight on the tape, but shows that before he would make his money creating while driving in the paint, he could hit the long ball, too.
The Minnesota color TV analyst has it right here: Watch the english Rubio whips on this behind-the-back look to Kevin Love.
Nash shows off what he’d perfect later on in his second stop in Phoenix: draw in multiple defenders on a drive to hit the open man. More often than not in Dallas, he was finding Dirk.
On this, Rubio exhibits a shared quality with Nash: Their ability to take what’s given to them and create a highlight. Cut off from going baseline by Dirk Nowitzki here, Rubio threads it between Dirk’s legs for the dime. They aren’t just world-class dribblers and passers in a vacuum, instead able to translate their imagination into split-second decisions on the court.
At 1:02 here, it’s Nash in the lane, again twisting around a committed defender to find an opening for… Shawn Bradley.
Here, Anthony Randolph lurks around the Target Center’s baseline, and we’re not even sure Rick Adelman knew he was there. Rubio, somehow, sees him with four players in his sightline.
Who had the better early highlights in their career?
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