Cavs: 3 players key to their upcoming West Coast trip
By John Suchan
Cavs key player #2: Rubio
There was some chatter after one of the recent Cavs games about the similarity between Rubio this season to former Cavs backup veteran guard Matthew Dellavedova.
While I agree both helped the younger Cavalier guards like Collin Sexton and Darius Garland, Rubio’s abilities both offensively and defensively are far better then Dellavedova’s were. I loved “Delly” as he has rightfully become a Wine and Gold legend for his tenacity, but the production from Rubio has been critical these first few games especially with the absence of Garland in the past two, as he is recovering from an ankle injury.
The 11-year NBA veteran Rubio has been known for his passing abilities and finding the right guy on the court to score. His assist average over the years has been good. He had a career-best nine assists a game average back in 2016 with his original team, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and in five of his seasons he’s averaged above eight assists.
So far this season, with the Wine and Gold, Rubio has dished out 10 assists against the Grizzlies and the Hornets and eight assists in the win against the Hawks. He also scored 23 points and grabbed six boards in that victory. That ability to find his teammates like Mobley on a lob or Sexton streaking along the baseline for a nice up-and-under layup are a treat to watch.
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Plus, he’s also been able to knock down the outside three-point shot a few times as well. The three-point shooting has been emphasized by the team to try to be better at this season. Rubio went three-for-seven on threes against Atlanta and Memphis and three-for-six against Charlotte, so not a bad start at all.
That continued pass-first, but aggressive enough style by Rubio, along with his quick defensive feet and timely three-pointers on the West Coast journey should be the right combination to the Cavs picking up a few victories.