The Cleveland Cavaliers turned a weakness into a strength this offseason. A year ago the Cavs were piecing together a backup point guard from street free agents and aging franchise favorite Matthew Dellavedova. When starter Darius Garland missed time, which included 18 whole games, the team was at a loss to adequately replace him.
Things are completely different now. The Cavs brought in two backup point guards to play behind and occasionally alongside Garland. That includes Kevin Pangos, one of Europe’s best players this past year, who is likely better than anyone they had last year. More impactfully, Ricky Rubio is now with the team as the primary backup.
Ricky Rubio is a talented and experienced backup point guard. Where does he rank among his peers off the bench?
Rubio came into the league as a highly-regarded young point guard who was already dazzling the basketball world in Europe. While he never quite realized that star potential, he has already logged ten valuable seasons in the league. He averages 7.6 assists per game for his career, 19th all-time, and is 31st in career steals per game. He is a classic point guard, and a good one at that. Last season was by far the worst of his career, but he gets the chance for a rebound before his career is deemed to be on the downslope.
He will no doubt steady the ship for the Cavs, and if Garland is to miss time he can step in capably as a player with 593 career starts under his belt. The Cavs went from having a significant weakness to having one of the best backup situations in the league.
Let’s put some analysis to that statement. Where does Ricky Rubio rank among backup point guards leaguewide? Which teams, if any, have a better player coming off the bench? We’ll start with the teams who have a solid, if unspectacular option at the position and go up from there.
Cavs: Evaluating the backup PGs – Solid reserves
A number of teams across the league have solid reserve point guards, players they can trust to run the offense in the absence of the starter, and start in a pinch. These are the teams not looking to immediately improve their situation, not worried if their starter misses a game or two.
Last season the Atlanta Hawks struggled at the position behind Trae Young, but this offseason they traded for Delon Wright to hold down the fort. Wright has excellent size and defensive ability at the position, a very different look from the Hawks’ starter. The Milwaukee Bucks brought back an old friend in George Hill to back up Jrue Holiday; they had to win the title without a backup point guard last season.
Another former Bucks PG, Eric Bledsoe, has landed with the LA Clippers and will likely come off the bench for the first time since….he was on the Clippers. His shot comes and goes but Bledsoe is still a tough defender and finisher inside. Facundo Campazzo will back up Monte Morris in Denver with Jamal Murray on the sideline; Campazzo is a creative passer who struggles at times with the size and speed of the NBA game. Tyus Jones is as steady as they come behind Ja Morant in Memphis.
Finally, I’m not sure where to put John Wall since it looks like he wouldn’t start even if he was going to play. We’ll drop him here as a player operating as a shell of his former speedy self and move on.
Cavs: Evaluating the backup PGs – Up-and-comers
The other group of backup floor generals are the young “up-and-comers” in the league, players who aren’t necessarily better or worse than the previous group but have upside to continue growing. They might be less trustworthy than veteran options, but they also could become something greater over time.
The Los Angeles Lakers hope that applies to Kendrick Nunn and that he improves as the season goes along. Russell Westbrook will likely miss time due to injuries, and head coach Frank Vogel would like an option in case Westbrook is unplayable at the end of a game. Another Western Conference playoff squad, the Portland Trail Blazers, are hoping Anfernee Simons takes a leap so they can trade him or use him to replace Damian Lillard if he demands a trade.
Jalen Brunson of the Dallas Mavericks is on the cusp of the above tier, a talented player who can fit on or off the ball as a plus shooter and distributor. Luka Doncic is best defined as a point guard, but Brunson will even so play alongside Luka and potentially even close at times for the Mavericks.
The Atlantic Division has a trio of up-and-coming sophomores. Malachi Flynn of the Toronto Raptors didn’t show a ton as a rookie, but the Raptors have a lot of faith in him as the heir to Kyle Lowry. Payton Pritchard looked excellent in NBA Summer League and will likely play with both Dennis Schroder and Marcus Smart in Boston. Immanuel Quickley showed a lot for the New York Knicks last season but will be buried given the wave of new backcourt players.
Cavs: Evaluating the backup PGs – Best Backups
Now we come to the top tier, those players who not only steady the ship or hint at something more to come, but who make their teams consistently better and could be low-end starters in the league on a different team.
Let’s lay them out in three mini-tiers. First, those guys in this group that are a little behind Rubio, even after his shaky season last year. Alex Caruso and Patrick Beverley are rugged defenders, with both developing good off-ball games alongside playmaking wings during their careers. Cameron Payne revived his career and was a really good play for the Phoenix Suns last season.
Secondly, there is where Ricky Rubio should slot in. He could be the best backup point guard out there this season, but last year was concerning enough to hold him a step back from those players who can generate high-level offense through scoring and passing still.
Those two players are a pair of former Cleveland Cavaliers, Jordan Clarkson and Derrick Rose. The one with the greater career accolades, Rose can still get his shot off against anyone and has developed into a much more efficient outside shooter than early in his career. On the other hand Clarkson has refined his game as a microwave scorer and found a home in Utah, where he is somewhat protected by other passers and defenders and allowed to just go out there and shoot.
Rubio brings a good balance of everyone in this tier, shaky shooting and decent scoring and good defense and great passing. He can’t claim the title as the best backup point guard in the league right now, or another team would likely have brought him in to start. For now he will provide the Cavs with the best backup point guard they have had in a long time.