2 goals for Cavs’ Ricky Rubio in the 2022-23 season

Goal #1: Play in at least 50 games

Recovering from a ACL tear is no easy task, especially for players who have battled multiple injuries throughout their career. And Rubio having that second ACL tear is concerning, obviously. The veteran Spaniard is likely to miss the first portion of the Cavaliers’ season still recovering from his knee injury. There’s even a possibility we don’t see Rubio at 100% until the later part of the season.

In what was a rather loud offseason for most NBA teams, the Cavalier front office only made a couple of moves. Along with re-signing Rubio, the Cavs also signed big man Robin Lopez, and veteran guard Raul Neto. On top of that, it’s tough to forecast what is going to happen with Collin Sexton this season at this point, so Rubio’s availability has to be a priority for the Cavalier training staff.

Before Rubio tore his ACL, the Cavaliers were off to a hot start, surprising nearly everybody in the league with a 20-14 record. At the end of the season, we all know the Cavs finished with a 44-38 record. However, on Feb. 6 the Cavs acquired Caris LeVert to take a lot of the ball-handling load off of Darius Garland’s plate. Cleveland was a solid 13-7 in the games between Rubio’s injury and the Cavaliers acquiring LeVert. But, if you go back and watch those games, the guard play was very erratic, and the weight of heavy minutes could be seen taking it’s toll on Garland a bit.

For the Cavs to make another big jump this season, the playmaking guard has to play in at least 50 games. Koby Altman and Mike Gansey decided to only sign Neto this offseason for guard depth, so Rubio’s brains and playmaking will be needed.

With that being said, Rubio’s biggest addition when he returns will be the depth he provides.