Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio was in the Philippines for a promotional tour for Adidas and in his visit spoke about the team's chances of making it to the postseason.
"I know the Western Conference is really tough. There's a lot of good teams who can make the playoffs, but I believe. I believe in me, I believe in my team, and I think we can do it," Rubio said, according to Rappler.com when asked about Minnesota reaching the playoffs.
The Timberwolves had the worst record last season at 16–66 and missed the postseason for the 11th consecutive year.
Rubio said health will be a key in their goal of making it to the playoffs in the 2015–16 season.
The 24-year-old point guard has not been a hundred percent himself as he suffered an ankle injury last season. Such limited him to only 22 games, in which he averaged 10.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 8.8 assists, and 1.7 steals per outing.
But it looks like Rubio's ankle is fine now and he is expected to be fully healthy when the Timberwolves begin their training camp, KSTP reported.
The Timberwolves is loaded with young talent for the 2015–16 season, while having veteran leadership as well with forward and franchise star Kevin Garnett and guard Andre Miller also in the team.
Minnesota selected Kentucky center Karl Anthony-Towns as the no. 1 overall pick in the 2015 draft and he joins fellow no. 1 picks forwards Anthony Bennett (2013) and Andrew Wiggins (2014).
Along with them, the Timberwolves also have the reigning Slam Dunk champion Zach LaVine who was the 13th overall pick in 2014.
But the player that truly stood out last season for Minnesota is Wiggins who won the Rookie of the Year award.
Rubio also spoke about Wiggins during his visit to the Philippines and believes the 20-year-old player is bound for greatness.
"I think Wiggins is going to be an MVP one day," Rubio said according to Rappler.com.
He added that Wiggins fits well in the league and will be a big key for their playoff push next season.
