Unfortunately injuries played a major role in the Cleveland Cavaliers 2021-2022 season. It all started back in November when Collin Sexton went down with a knee injury that kept him out all season. Luckily for the Cavs, the front office traded for veteran point guard Ricky Rubio during the 2021 offseason. He stepped up after Sexton’s injury, and did a great job as a playmaker. He was a great floor general, and leader on and off the court.
However, lighting struck twice as Rubio also went down with a knee injury in late December, that would end his season as well. It was a major blow to all the momentum the Cavaliers had built up to that point. It was obvious that the young Cavalier team took a step back without him on the floor.
Rubio has seemingly been on track in his recovery from his ACL year in his left knee, which was his second one in that left knee, which first occurred in 2012, and as an aside, Sexton seems fully back from his meniscus tear.
With Rubio, though, looking past the injury element, he has only connected on 33% of his three-pointers throughout his career. So you can understand my skepticism when the Cavaliers decided to re-sign the Spaniard, who shoots less than 40% from the field throughout his entire career. I wasn’t a fan of the rumored strong possibility of that prior to the signing, honestly.
With that being said, he was a great mentor to Darius Garland this past season, and played well when he was on the court. So, with those things in mind, here’s what can we expect from the soon to be 32-year old next season, when he is ultimately back, seemingly in December or January.
Here’s what to expect from Rubio in 2022-23.
Personally, I have far more expectations for Rubio off the court rather than on the court. Darius Garland continually expressed how he would watch film and discuss basketball with veteran guards Rajon Rondo and Rubio in 2021-22. If Rubio can continue to help Garland get better, then the signing would be pretty much justified.
When it comes to on-court play, Rubio was actually very good this past season before his injury. He was averaging over 13 points per game while shooting an improved 34% from the three-point line, and the percentage was typically far better before a cold spell.
On top of that, he averaged nearly seven assists per game, while averaging just under 30 minutes per game. Heck, even before Collin Sexton went down, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff kept Rubio in the game during crunch time because of his leadership and experience.
Setting expectations for Rubio on the court next season is a bit tricky. He likely won’t be back to game shape until December or later. However, depending on what happens with Sexton and his next contract situation, Rubio could definitely be able to average nearly 10 points per game this season, while also dishing out over five assists per game when he is back.
It’s been proven over time that he really isn’t the best shooter, but his presence on the court and the bench definitely make a huge difference.
Like I said earlier, I’m still not really sold on the Rubio signing. But, we should know if the decision to re-sign the Spaniard was a good one or not by the midway point. However, either way I think Garland is the key to everything that the Cavaliers do on the offensive end.
If Rubio can help the former Vanderbilt point guard in becoming one of the best young players in the league, then Rubio will have met, and greatly surpassed the expectations I have for him for next year at least.