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Ruben Douglas

RCSI: 43 (1998)
Height: 6'5" (196 cm)
Weight: 193 lbs (88 kg)
Position: SG
High School: Bellarmine-Jefferson High School (California)
Hometown: Pasadena, CA
AAU: Rockfish
College: New Mexico
Current Team: Valencia
Win - Loss: 16 - 10

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FIBA World Championship Preview: Group B

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Aug 12, 2006, 08:45 pm
Ruben Douglas is a very well rounded player, enjoying a successful European career after being an absolute star as a collegiate at New Mexico and leading the NCAA in scoring in 2003/2004.

Douglas started his European travels in Greece, at a mid-level team in Panionios where he quickly turned the attention of richer European clubs by putting up 20 points per game in the Greek League. Italian powerhouse Climamio was his next destination, and Douglas`s offensive role was reduced, but he still averaged a respectful 13.4 points per game in the Euroleague and helped them claim the Italian league title. Last season Douglas was a member of Dinamo Moscow, one of the richest European teams on the continent, where he reportedly makes around 850 thousand dollars net per year. Ruben was a key reason for Dinamo’s triumph the in ULEB Cup along with Mire Chatman, which secured them participation in next season’s Euroleague. He averaged 16 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest. Ruben’s travel around Europe continues, after Greece, Italy and Russia he will be playing in Spain next year for a very strong squad at Pamesa Valencia.

Douglas plays mostly as a SF in Europe, where some of his deficiencies are well hidden. Being 6-4, Douglas barely has legit size to be a shooting guard in the NBA, not to mention his natural position skill-wise which is at the "3". If you look at him as a shooting guard, you will notice that he lacks the speed to be an effective player on both ends at a high level. On defense his lateral movement is not good enough to defend NBA caliber guards, and on offense lacks the explosiveness to get off the ground and finish at the rim. Douglas’ ball-handling lacks some polish, he can drive to the hoop when the lane is open and perform a couple of short dribbles to get his shot off, but he comes up short on the more advanced moves which would enable him to create his own shot at the NBA level. The mismatches he creates at the European level with his strength and offensive instincts would be nowhere near as profound in the NBA as DraftExpress discovered at the Vegas Summer League in early July when he played for the Phoenix Suns.

With that said, Douglas is an elite swingman in Europe. His defense is actually very good, being able to fully take advantage of his strong body and high basketball IQ. He reads the passing lines very well, never risking his defensive position, and his speed and height are not really an issue here given that there is little difference size-wise between the 2 and 3 positions, while his level of athleticism is well beyond NBA standards. Douglas is a reliable jump-shooter, either from mid-range or three point land. He has good form on his J with a high release point, not needing much separation to get his shot off. Ruben is also a very capable rebounder for his size, positioning himself well under the rim and going after boards, even out of his area.

He had a nice showing in the Summer league the previous year for the New York Knicks, but nobody was ready to take a shot at him. This World Championship will be another chance to showcase himself in front of NBA executives as he will be the leader of Panama’s squad and probably their first offensive option. Even if he doesn’t fulfill his dream of playing in the NBA, Douglas will make plenty of money with the way he has performed in Europe.

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