If you asked most people around the NBA, they would say the biggest offseason move the Cleveland Cavaliers made was drafting Evan Mobley with the third overall pick. I mostly agree, that was a huge step in the right direction for this young Cavs team. That said, another key move general manager Koby Altman and the Cavaliers front office made was locking down Jarrett Allen on a five-year, $100 million contract.
With the defensive versatility of Mobley, and the rim protector mentality of Allen, the two players will be a force defensively for years to come. On the offensive side of things, another under-the-radar move that the Cavs made could prove vital for the growth of the two bigs.
Altman traded Taurean Prince, a 2022 second-round pick (via the Washington Wizards) and cash to the Minnesota Timberwolves for point guard Ricky Rubio. Rubio is a proven distributor who will provide Mobley and Allen countless opportunities to score.
Rubio has always been a great passer
Rubio, the fifth overall pick from the 2009 NBA Draft, has never averaged below five assists a game during his 10-year career. The Spanish floor general was pivotal in the development of Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns.
During his rookie year, he averaged 18 points per game and was named the unanimous Rookie of the Year. However, the real jump in Towns’ game came in his second season, when he averaged 25 points per game. During those two years Rubio averaged 8.7 and a career-best 9.1 assists per game respectively.
Not only did Rubio provide Towns with great scoring opportunities, but he also put him in great positions to score. Most rookies have trouble getting acclimated to the NBA, but with Rubio’s help, Towns had an effective field goal percentage of over 56 percent.
Allen and Mobley in transition for the Cavs
Rubio is Spanish, and like most Spanish players, he’s incredibly smooth in the open floor. He always has his head up, and has an uncanny ability to spot the open runner. Just having Rubio on the floor will give the two big men ample lanes to run into. As a Cavs fan, can you imagine Ricky Rubio unleashing a full-court pass like this to Evan Mobley?
Obviously, having either Allen or Mobley on the court means the rim will be protected, so all others can fill the floor in transition. If Jarrett Allen in particular can become an even better rim-runner it will open up a lot of things for the Cavaliers.
Pick-and-roll situations
Watching Ricky Rubio play for the Spanish National Team should give the Cavs a lot to look forward to this season. In particular, the pick-and-roll game is a play-type to watch. During the recent 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Rubio shot over 50 percent from the field, averaging 25 points per game and six assists. You can see during Spain’s game versus Japan that Rubio loves running the pick-and-roll.
Allen will have a lot of points around the rim because of playing with this floor general. On top of that, as you can see with Marc Gasol, Rubio is also a master of the pick-and-pop. While Mobley’s game right now is mostly around the basket, Rubio will be able to provide him ample opportunities to improve his perimeter game.
Rubio to mentor Mobley?
During his lone season at USC, Evan Mobley displayed the ability to be a floor general in his own right. He didn’t do it often in college, but he showed the capability of being a point forward. As our own Dan Gilinsky pointed out, it would be smart for the Cavs to hand the keys over to Evan Mobley when in transition.
"“Mobley didn’t have eye-popping assist splits with the Trojans with 2.4 assists per outing and 2.8 per-40 minutes, but for a big, he has good vision and again has an impressive handle. With that in mind, after defensive rebounds, Cleveland should let him push throughout games, where he can help get guys such as Collin Sexton and Isaac Okoro transition lead looks in the open floor.”"
There aren’t many point guards in the NBA who would be a better mentor for Mobley than Rubio. The big man from USC could become an even better floor general than Rubio, simply because of his size. Rubio has proven throughout his career that he’s a great distributor in transition. Therefore, if Mobley can take a few tips here and there from Rubio, that would be very valuable in the growth of his own game.
Overall, acquiring Rubio was a move that went under the radar during this busy offseason. Why wouldn’t it be under the radar? Rubio is a 30-year-old point guard whose best days are behind him.
But if he can come in and be a positive influence on Allen and Mobley, the move will be justified. On top of helping grow the games of Allen and Mobley, Isaac Okoro and Collin Sexton should thrive with Rubio running the break.