Lonzo Ball's success is easy to root for, given the work that was necessary for the former Chicago Bulls point guard to get back to the court after years of injuries keeping him off the floor. Thankfully for Ball, Ricky Rubio has already created a replicable model to emulate in 2025-26.
The former fan favorite has also been a player who struggled with his health throughout his NBA career. However, when Rubio was playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Spanish guard was making an impact.
Danny Cunningham highlighted Rubio on a recent episode of the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show. The Cavaliers reporter thought there were enough overlap in the skill sets to think Ball can find similar success off Cleveland's bench.
Cunningham said, "By the time Ricky was here, he was not a good defender. And, of course, [Rubio] is a much smaller guard, but can [Lonzo] be a [bigger]-sized version of Ricky Rubio? I don't think that's a crazy thought."
Ricky Rubio's success can be mirrored by Lonzo Ball in Cleveland
The comparisons between Ball and Rubio are easy to draw. They are both gifted playmakers who make everyone around them better. At their best, they are also strong defenders. Although, Cunningham was of the opinion Rubio's best days were behind him on that end by his time in Ohio.
Both have shown the ability to score on the interior throughout their careers. Albeit, Ball's game lends itself better to being a floor spacing option in this portion of his playing days, especially after the injuries. Accounting for everything, there is still some noticeable overlap here.
Rubio's best season in a Cavaliers jersey was the 2021-22 season. The former lottery pick averaged 13.1 points, 6.6 assists, and 1.4 steals per game for the wine and gold.
Rubio's 36.3 field goal percentage was underwhelming. However, a passable 33.9 percent (by his standards) from beyond the arc on 5.1 attempts helped a touch.
That was actually the fourth best percentage the former Cavaliers guard shot from distance in his career. It was also comfortably the highest volume shot by the European.
If Ball can get a relatively clean bill of health in 2025-26, the tools in his arsenal should allow for him to surpass Rubio several departments. Perhaps the points per game would not be quite up to the aforementioned standard, but the efficiency of those buckets offers better upside.
Likewise, the physical tools of Ball defensively should be a massive asset for the Cavaliers' title push. When pairing that with his playmaking, a strong leader for the second unit can be had in 2025-26.