The Rudy Fernandez Preseason Scouting Report | MAD BALLIN'

Fans have been waiting for Rudy Fernandez to come over to the NBA from Spain for a while. Whether seeing him play on his ACB club DKV Joventut or the Spanish national team, two things were obvious : Rudy could play; and he had flair.

In his NBA preseason debut against the Sacramento Kings, both the skills and flair carried over from his overseas experience. Rudy put on a scintillating display of scoring and passing, and finished with 6 points and 5 assists in the Portland Trail Blazers' 110-81 blowout of the Kings.

As fantastic as Rudy looked, can he perform like that in the regular season? What adjustments must he make in order to produce when the games count?

First, take a look at the Rudy Fernandez highlights from Rudy's preseason debut against the Sacramento Kings :

courtesy of Blazers Clips

THE LOWDOWN :

Unlike his teammate Greg Oden, Rudy is a well-oiled machine coming into the NBA, having played nearly year-round with Joventut and Team Espana. As such, he is in shape, and it showed in the way he played against Sacramento.

The most surprising skill he showed everyone was his passing skills. We all knew he could create and score, but who knew he had such polished passing instincts? Watching Rudy make plays like that has convinced me that he is the second coming of Manu Ginobili, a tall, energetic combo guard with an exquisite floor game.

However, to be as effective as Manu throughout the season, Rudy must add some bulk, or develop killer stamina, a la Richard Hamilton. So far, Rudy has a reputation as a offense-only player, and there's a chance he could get abused by stockier two guards on defense if he doesn't find a way to make up for it. Just as he surprised us with his passing skills, he must continue to do so, and the most important factor is improving his defense.

I see Rudy getting playing time right away. His offensive game is polished, he heats up in an instant, and ignites a team, so Blazers coach Nate McMillian can play him major minutes off the bench as a third guard or sixth man. Moreover, with his ability to handle, shoot or pass, Rudy can be utilized at the two in smaller lineups or one in bigger lineups.

Either way, Rudy is too good not to play, and given the opportunity he will produce. And how much will he produce? I'd say Rudy will start fast out the gate, averaging about 13 points and 3 assists until the All-Star break. However, having not experienced an NBA season and having played ball almost year-round for the past three years, Rudy will hit a major rookie wall around the All-Star break, and his averages tail off to about 11.5 points and 2.5 assists.

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