Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 small moves that can make a big difference

#1: Bring back Ricky Rubio at a discounted price

The Cavaliers hot start to the season was largely due to the stellar play from veteran point guard Ricky Rubio bringing stability of offense and still being a good defensive piece for the Cavs backcourt. It was his injury that eventually caused the downward spiral that the team faced in the second half of the season.

The Cavaliers lack any offensive consistency on their current roster outside of Kevin Love and Darius Garland. The first of which saw some dwindling minutes toward the end of the season for some reason.

Rubio would add incredible playmaking off the bench for the Cavs, something they tried to replicate after his injury by adding Rajon Rondo, but he just was not the same. Rubio is a better scorer than Rondo, largely due to the fact that he is a bit younger and has a slightly better jumper (still nothing to write home about though).

He may not be the best shooter in the league, but Rubio is incredibly self-aware of when he isn’t hitting shots and will focus more on getting teammates involved while also finding ways to get easier looks for when he does need to shoot the ball. Something Rondo didn’t really do with the Cavs. Ricky Rubio would also bring mentorship for Garland, again, as they are similar players in playstyle, if he were better at scoring at least.

Rubio would likely be willing to take a veteran minimum deal as he is aging with a major injury in recent memory as he tore his ACL this season shortly before being included in the Caris LeVert trade. He also is unlikely to be ready to start the season. Once he is on the court, however, he would be a major asset for the Cavs.