The Jazz have been waiting for Ricky Rubio to fit in. It finally might be happening.

It was after Ricky Rubio’s second 3-pointer of the night that the game broadcast caught some reaction from Golden State’s bench: laughter.

Of all the players on the Utah Jazz, it was the career 31 percent shooter on 3-pointers who was lighting them up for what would be a 23-point stat line in a 129-99 win Tuesday night. The reaction, for those who have watched Rubio for the past seven years in the NBA, was somewhat understandable.

But it’s flawed thinking, said Donovan Mitchell. The rest of the world hasn’t seen what the Jazz have seen from their teammate, who has seen some sharp highs and lows so far this season but now may start trending in the right direction as he gains a foothold in Utah.

“This is a different Ricky that we saw tonight,” Mitchell said. “He’s confident going to the hoop.”

Here’s why Rubio was confident going to the hoop against the Warriors: He knew that Golden State’s defense would have less help in the paint to protect the basket from dunks by Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors. Rubio helped create with five of his 11 assists going to Utah’s starting bigs. His second-quarter alley-oop to Gobert for a reverse jam was arguably the best connection he’s had with Utah’s center all season.

This is what the Jazz envisioned when they traded for Rubio back in June: a veteran passer who could provide some spacing and empower the Jazz’s front court on offense as well as a scrappy defender. It hasn’t always gone according to plan. Rubio’s assist rate has fallen dramatically and his shooting stayed about the same.

But Rubio has left his fingerprints on each of the last three wins. He threw the assist on the game-tying pass in Detroit; he hit the game-winning shot in Toronto; he led the Jazz in points and assists against the Warriors. Is it another hot streak? Or is the trade finally working out for the Jazz?

To coach Quin Snyder, it only makes sense that the latter option has taken four months to finally happen. It would be unreasonable to expect otherwise between Rubio’s staggered arrival to training camp after playing for the Spanish national team to the rotating injuries that have hampered on-court chemistry.

“You’re thrown into it. It takes time,” Snyder said. “Then you go and you’re playing with different players. It stands to reason that some of those things take time.”

What may have taken the most time was Utah getting healthy. Gobert has yet to play more than 12 consecutive games this season. It already was supposed to be an adjustment going from playing with playmaking bigs Kevin Love and Karl Anthony-Towns in Minnesota to Gobert, whose primary offensive role is rolling to the basket. Rubio also had to get used to Utah’s defensive system, which asks perimeter defenders to help less and concentrate more on guarding their man.

When Gobert got hurt early in the season, the Jazz had to switch systems: On offense, there was more movement and more pick-and-roll with Favors. On defense, the team had to work harder on the perimeter and help more. That set back Rubio’s learning curve even further.

“It was a big adjustment not just for me, but for the whole team,” Rubio said.

Some aspects have started to change about Rubio’s game with some continuity. He’s played good defense on Kyle Lowry and Steph Curry, both All-Star scorers, in the last two contests. Gobert has helped give him confidence that if he gets beat, there’s a shot-blocker ready to back him up.

His numbers on offense ticked up in January. He averaged 11.4 points and 5.2 assists while shooting nearly 36 percent from 3-point range. A lot of that, Snyder said, has to do with his improving shot selection. He’s not as likely to throw up the dribble-and-pop jumpers that plagued his early stretch with the Jazz. But Mitchell also said he’s seen Rubio working late after practices on certain days on adding the arc that his jump shot has lacked throughout his career.

And that connection, the one with Gobert. It’s been up-and-down with Rubio struggling to find the right places to get the 7-foot-1 center the ball. The alley-oop was the best sign yet for the Jazz that the relationship still could flourish one day.

“It’s definitely getting better,” Gobert said. “I feel like he’s getting me the ball at the right spot, and I’m getting to the right spot. We’re still learning, but he’s definitely looking for me, and I have to finish those plays.”

The one thing the Jazz need if Rubio is going to pan out is trust, and Rubio is starting to feel that solidify. It meant a lot to him last Friday when Mitchell found him open on the perimeter for the game-winning shot against the Raptors. He teased the rookie that he should’ve gotten the ball against the Knicks, when the Jazz had lost the game the previous week. It was a joke but lined with a vein of truth.

It hasn’t been the smoothest journey, but the string of games has increased Rubio’s confidence as well as the team’s confidence in him. Will he be able to keep it up? It remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure: He’s going to keep firing when called upon, whether opponents want to laugh or not.

“The chemistry is really good, so when you have a bad game or a bad stretch, you know they’re going to keep looking for you,” he said. “That feels really good.”