Grading the Cleveland Cavaliers guards’ play so far this season

Examining Ricky Rubio’s play so far this season

One couldn’t expect Rubio to have nearly the same impact as he had in the first two months of last season for the Cavaliers following his trade acquisition from the Minnesota Timberwolves in the prior offseason. The Cavs and Rubio reunited last summer when he was an unrestricted free agent, but he was of course set to be returning following an extensive recovery from his second ACL tear in the same left knee he did back in 2012.

With that having been the case, it wasn’t surprising that Rubio didn’t return this season until January. He’s been gradually working his way back since, and hasn’t played in both legs of back-to-back situations yet, which was reportedly anticipated.

Thus far, Rubio has played in 14 games this season for Cleveland, and there’s been some rust for him. In that time, he’s had 5.7 points and 3.8 assists in 16.8 minutes per contest. Rubio has only connected on 28.3 percent of his three-point attempts, and hopefully, he can find some better rhythm in that area as an occasional catch-and-shoot player, and in time, he’ll have to convert better near the basket.

Even with the shooting inefficiencies, Rubio has been an impactful ball mover, kickout passer and his pick-and-roll abilities have provided a calming presence in his time in games to begin his season. Rubio has still had 8.1 assists per-36 minutes, to only 1.5 turnovers.

In addition, his defensive prowess has given the team a boost, and his on and off-ball expertise there speaks for itself; him having 1.1 steals per game in his minutes-share has been outstanding. Even at 32 and coming off a significant injury, Rubio’s defensive playmaking is always welcomed.

Overall, his two-way play has been solid, but ideally, one would prefer him to be more proficient as a scorer.

Rubio’s 2022-23 grade so far: B

For me, the sample size has been minimal, but a “B” grade for Rubio seems reasonable. But rest assured, he’s more than capable of being a difference-maker off the bench in days ahead, and one should never take Rubio’s leadership for granted.