What To Expect From Ricky Rubio's Return To The Cavs

Ricky Rubio is rumored to be making his season debut with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night. However, don't expect the same Rubio of last season.

Tommy Wild | Jan 11, 2023

What To Expect From Ricky Rubio's Return To The Cavs /

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Cleveland Cavaliers

Cavs fans received some pretty big news on Wednesday afternoon when reports broke that Ricky Rubio is planning to make his season debut on Thursday night as Cleveland takes on the Portland Trailblazers.

This is fantastic news!

Rubio has been on a long journey since he tore his ACL in December of 2021. He was injured, traded to the Indiana Pacers, then signed back with Cleveland over the offseason. Since then he's done nothing but rehab to get back to this point.

Yes, it'll be great to see the veteran point guard back on the floor. But fans need to manage their expectations for how impactful Rubio will be.

Rubio played in 34 games and started in eight last season. In that time averaged 13.1 points and 6.6 assists. He also averaged over 28 minutes a night. We also can't forget his 37-point outburst against the Knicks too! He not only made a major impact on the floor but he clearly had a positive effect in the locker room as well.

Dec 18, 2021; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ricky Rubio (3) calls a play in the third quarter during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

The off-the-court impact and basketball IQ that Rubio brings to the table will definitely stay around as that's something that doesn't fade with age and injury. However, some of those stat lines are likely to drop.

First off, J.B. Bickerstaff has said on multiple occasions that they don't plan to play him nearly as much as they did last season. The goal is to be around 15-20 minutes a night. Rubio got sucked into a high-usage role last year because of Collin Sexton's injury and a number of players heading into health and safety protocols at the same time.

With Rubio playing fewer minutes, it's only natural that the number of points that he scores and assists he dishes out will decline. A lot of what Rubio brings to the table and how he runs the offense doesn't show up on the stat sheet so he still will be a big addition to the lineup.

Cavs fans can catch Rubio in action for the first time tomorrow night when Cleveland tips off at 10:00 PM EST for some late-night basketball in Portland.

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