The Cleveland Cavaliers made a no-brainer selection in Evan Mobley at #3 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft on Thursday night, and while does need to fill out physically, he should be a difference-maker for Cleveland from the jump.
To that point, even with me personally of the opinion that Cleveland should’ve traded for another pick, which they were reportedly considering doing, Mobley should make this latest draft a success in the near future. With his wide-ranging skill set, he should fit the modern NBA so well, and I firmly believe he’ll be a great security blanket for the Cavaliers guards.
Along with the Mobley selection, Cleveland’s other significant roster move on Thursday was them trading Taurean Prince, a 2022 second-round pick via the Washington Wizards and cash to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Ricky Rubio.
Prince did aid Cleveland’s bench last season post-trade from the Brooklyn Nets as a catch-and-shoot player and tertiary shot creator, but he did have trouble staying healthy. With the injury woes for him with them and with Prince expiring, it did seem reasonable that could potentially be traded before next season, and with Cleveland’s backup point guard need, this was a good move I thought.
So with the Rubio trade acquisition in mind, what should we expect from him next season for the Cavaliers, then?
Here, we’ll hit on two realistic expectations for Rubio for the Cavs in 2021-22.
The first of those has to do with his playmaking for the Wine and Gold, mostly off the bench, with Darius Garland in mind in this case, I would think.
#1: Rubio is a consistent reserve primary playmaker for the Cavs
Although he has bounced around in recent seasons, Rubio’s passing vision/feel as a playmaker has still been there at a high level.
Last season, although D’Angelo Russell injuries did play some into it, Rubio did still have 6.4 assists per contest, and in spurts/stretches without Darius Garland on the floor, he should still be a productive lead guard for Cleveland, and will bring consistency. In the last three seasons, he’s had 7.1 assists per contest, and lifetime, Rubio has had 9.1 assists per-36 minutes.
Rubio, even with him not being a floor spacer, has always had great timing with his dishes to cutters, has the recognition to see rollers over-the-top, and is on-point with his ball reversals. That should pay off for Collin Sexton, Kevin Love (if he sticks around) and other shooters.
So clearly, the first realistic expectation for the vet for the Cavaliers is that he should provide reliable playmaking off the bench game-to-game, and even with Rubio set to be expiring, that could potentially lead to him sticking around. That’s if the two sides were to agree on a reasonable deal down the road, at least. He is set to make $17.8 million next season though, regardless of whether the Phoenix Suns previously overpaid for him.
But the passing and pick-and-roll operation from Rubio, in a general sense, should take some burden off of Darius Garland, and that should provide a meaningful lift for Cleveland next season, and maybe beyond that.
#2: Rubio is a solid point-of-attack defender in his minutes for the Cavs
Secondly, given how he has been a quality defender in his career against 1s and 2s, I’d expect Rubio to be a solid point-of-attack defender for the Cavaliers.
In his minutes, feasibly off the bench mostly, the 30-year-old should still provide meaningful ball pressure to eat some opponent clock, and could allow others to be more aggressive in his time on the floor.
Even with him set to be in his 11th season in 2021-22, Rubio is still a very heady defender, and he’s a player that often gets his share of steals (2.2 per-36 lifetime), and the energy he could bring in that way could be outstanding for Cleveland’s bench.
His pressure on the ball makes opposing primary playmakers often less proactive in getting cutters looks, and that can allow bigs on the weak side to be more active with their hedges to shooters, which shouldn’t be discounted in set possessions.
So, while I’d again expect Darius Garland/Collin Sexton (if he sticks around) to get the majority of Cleveland’s backcourt minutes, with Rubio’s defensive abilities/hounding defense, he should make a difference at the point of attack in his time in there.
That’s clearly one of the best attributes of Rubio, and his defensive chops should help Collin Sexton in some spurts with Ricky, along with others, such as perhaps Mobley, Dylan Windler and (if he’s back) Isaiah Hartenstein.
Overall, though, it will be nice for the likes of Garland and Sexton to have some legitimate, game-to-game playmaking help, and it’s an added plus that Rubio is still a solid point-of-attack defender as well.