Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 ways Ricky Rubio can help Darius Garland

#2: How Rubio can help Garland round out his offensive game

If we are to believe the trends from this past year, then it seems likely Darius Garland will continue to develop his offensive game more throughout the upcoming 2021-22 NBA season.

As he builds upon his average of 17.4 points per game from last year in addition to his overall shooting clip at 45.1 percent, and 39.5 percent from three, having Ricky Rubio in Cleveland will provide Garland with a mentor to adapt and learn from.

And that’d be one that has had more success on a personal level than say, Matthew Dellavedova did. Dellavedova was a good rotational playmaker and reportedly did help Garland and Sexton, but Rubio has had a far more impactful career overall.

Coming off of the regular season with Minnesota, Rubio averaged 8.6 points, and although he’s far from the shooter of Garland, he is still a decent scorer that can make things happen in the open floor and with floaters. His craftiness as a driver is something that’s paid off for him too, and perhaps behind the scenes, as Rubio will serve as Garland’s primary backup, he can help Garland round out his approach as a scorer and pick-and-roll operator.

In fact, when it comes to the offensive side of the game, Cleveland’s newest point guard has especially been showing up and showing out in Tokyo this summer. Playing for his home country of Spain in the Olympics, Rubio came away with a stellar 38 points against Team USA.

Granted, Kevin Durant managed to rally the United States to a victory in the end, 95-81. However, Rubio’s performance in that game should not go overlooked. He made a memorable impact, scoring the most points against Team USA in the team’s history.

Although Spain would not advance in the Olympics, Rubio definitely left his mark with his 25.5 points per game. His offensive talent will provide Garland with a bevy of knowledge and expertise to pull from this upcoming season.

Now from there, Rubio’s playmaking abilities and track record should be crucial for Garland as well, clearly.

#3: Rubio can help Garland’s playmaking development for the Cavs

Ricky Rubio’s playmaking will also give Garland an edge to learn from as well. Averaging 6.4 assists per game this past year with the Wolves, Rubio’s facilitating is still very much intact.

Garland’s 6.1 assists per game last season is just as impressive, and if Garland can continue this upward trend of successful playmaking, along with Rubio’s guidance, Cleveland is going to have a high caliber ball handler and facilitator on their hands.

Rubio will likely be leading the Cavaliers bench as the backup point guard behind Darius. Rubio’s consistent playmaking off the bench will provide Cleveland with a much needed edge in their guard rotation. Cleveland needs Darius Garland to take the leap this upcoming season and grow more into his role as the primary playmaker.

But all in all, Ricky Rubio’s presence on the team will allow Garland to do just that under his mentorship.