At 17, Rubio's Game Is Ahead of Schedule

BEIJING, Aug. 15 -- The mop of jet-black hair rests on his thick eyebrows, providing shade for his eyelids, nearly nudging the brim of his distinctive, beak nose. Physically, he looks like a young Pete Maravich, which is what you notice first about point guard Ricky Rubio of Spain.

When he is on the basketball court, effortlessly dropping behind-the-back passes and no-look, over-the-head lobs, Rubio again shows you the playmaking flair that led to the nickname "Spanish Pistol."

On a team that features Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol and Toronto Raptors point guard José Calderón, Rubio is making a difference for Spain, a gold medal contender that will face the United States on Saturday at Wukesong Indoor Stadium. He provided pressure defense in the fourth quarter of Spain's comeback win against China and later ignited a third-quarter run with his scoring and passing in a victory against Germany.

His statistics in these Olympics might not overwhelm anyone -- five points on 33 percent shooting, two rebounds and 2.3 steals -- but his age likely will. Rubio is just 17.

"This 17-year-old kid is actually a very mature player, and I have no problem putting him on the court," Spanish Coach Aíto García Reneses said this week.

Considered the most heralded European guard prospect in more than 20 years. Rubio started playing professional basketball for DKV Joventut in arguably the best European pro league, Spanish ACB, less than a week before his 15th birthday. He entered the realm of legend in 2006, when he led the Spanish junior national team to the FIBA Europe under-16 championship, scoring 52 points with 24 rebounds, 12 assists and 7 steals in a 110-106 double-overtime win against Russia.

Rubio's parents and his team protected him from being overexposed too soon, keeping him from doing interviews and turning down endorsement deals, but he has been a well-known commodity among NBA executives for years. In a poll of league executives on NBA.com, one general manager said Rubio was the best international player not in the NBA -- and that was two years ago.

If he decides to declare for the NBA draft next year or in 2010, Rubio would potentially be one of the top three picks.

"I don't think about two or three years after," Rubio said in choppy English. "It's one dream to go to the NBA. It's true. It's a dream for everybody to play in the best league in the world."

Rubio was one of the last additions to the Spanish national team, beating out Sergio Rodríguez, a point guard for the Portland Trail Blazers who played on Spain's world championship two years ago.

Rubio is 6 feet 4, with long arms that droop near his knees and big hands that help him make steals. He had five thefts as Spain overcame a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit against China. His aggressive steal against China's Liu Wei in the final seconds of regulation, which helped Spain force overtime and avoid an upset, has been heavily discussed this tournament.

"He's special," an international scout for an NBA Eastern Conference team said this week about Rubio. "I know people that watch him, and they want him to do the super-impossible. But this kid should be a senior in high school next year, and he's playing with men. No college kids can play at this level of competition.