Given Ricky Rubio’s game, he could still have key Cavs impact next season

When it was reported that Ricky Rubio and the Cleveland Cavaliers came to an agreement for him to return to the team, it was not news out of left field. It was rumored even dating back to during last season that Rubio could very well be back via free agency.

Rubio was traded to the Indiana Pacers near last deadline in the deal where Cleveland landed Caris LeVert as part of a package, and Rubio’s then-expiring contract was included for salary matching. Rubio was not going to be an on-floor contributor for Indiana with him gradually making strides in his recovery from an ACL tear suffered in late December, but him being involved was understandable for both sides, and helped Indiana accumulate assets.

As we noted, with how he made quite an imprint in the first two-plus months of last season with Cleveland following an offseason trade acquisition from the Minnesota Timberwolves, though, he did still could help the Cavaliers again later on.

Rubio may not be back until January, seemingly, and this was the second time he tore that same ACL in his left knee, so some hesitation about him looking onward I would get. He’s set to enter his age-32 season next year, too, and he’ll be in his 12th season in 2022-23.

With the timeline in mind, Cleveland signed point guard Raul Neto via one-year, veteran’s minimum deal also, fittingly so. Neto is not a guy who is nearly Rubio; still, Neto can help alleviate some of the burden on Darius Garland for stretches.

All of that being said, while it’s still going to take a chunk of next season, realistically, for him to get back, one thing that is relevant involving Rubio’s outlook is despite there being concern, his game is not predicated on athleticism.

So, he still could make a true impact for the Cavaliers on the floor next season, if he can get back into a rhythm and keep making plays for other guys.

Given his play style, Rubio could still have a key impact for the Cavs next season.

As we’ve expressed here, Rubio will be out for a chunk of next season, and it’s difficult to say when he’ll be fully back, if you will. That was the second ACL tear for him in that same left knee, and the team and he have to ensure he’s not rushed back, by any means.

The Cavs did make a sensible signing in bringing in Neto, though, to help as a rotational 1 for stretches sans Garland. With more opportunities to have a legit role the past two seasons, Neto had 8.1 points and 2.7 assists in 20.7 minutes per outing with the Washington Wizards. He is a quality defender at the point of attack, who has especially active hands on that end of the floor, too.

Regardless, as far as the Rubio outlook, it is still again worth acknowledging that with him, the guy has never been a player who is going to be blowing by people regularly as a driver or getting loads of separation as a pull-up threat.

He can make some plays as a shot creator, and I don’t discount how he helped Cleveland last season in that area, as evidenced by him then tying a career-best with 13.1 points per outing in his 34 games.

However, when it comes to the on-floor impact, it’s apparent that Rubio is always going to be more of a playmaking presence for others, and it’s his floor generalship and vision that are his two biggest attributes for his team. He had 6.6 assists per outing in a supersub-type role last season for the Cavaliers before his injury, to that point, and for his career, he’s had 9.0 assists per-36 minutes.

So, in short, while I get the concern injury-wise with Rubio, and hopefully there’s no setbacks, obviously, he could still help Cleveland in his minutes next season on the floor.

I don’t gloss over his vet presence behind the scenes for the likes of Darius Garland, among others, either, though.