Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
The Cleveland Cavaliers are off to a fantastic start this season, and they haven’t even had the luxury of using veteran guard Ricky Rubio yet.
The 32-year-old is working back from a torn ACL he suffered last December, and according to Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, Rubio is making progress.
The veteran is ramping up on-court work and will play five-on-five with his teammates soon.
It certainly sounds like Rubio is moving in the right direction, and that’s an exciting thought for Cavs fans. The point guard figures to be an extremely valuable addition to Cleveland’s second unit once he’s able to play again.
Before the ACL injury ended his 2021-22 season, Rubio made a major impact for the Cavs. He averaged 13.1 points, 6.6 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game.
The Cavs are already a very deep squad, and when Rubio comes back, his playmaking should do wonders for Cleveland when he’s running things. His return should allow Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell to rest a little bit more during games.
Moreover, it seems clear that Rubio loves what the Cavs are building. After all, they traded him away last season following his injury, and he still came back in the offseason and signed a three-year deal with them.
His commitment to the team is definitely a positive, and it adds to the special culture that the Cavs seem to have.
Cleveland is currently preparing to face the Sacramento Kings on Friday. After that game, the Cavs will have a quick turnaround, as they’ll play the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday.
Cleveland is 8-3 over its last 11 games, and the team sitting pretty comfortably in the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference as a result. The Cavs would obviously love to keep things rolling this weekend.
Last season, the injury bug hit the Cavs harder and harder as the season went on. This season, with any luck, the opposite will be true, as they’re set to gain a player in Rubio at some point and have done a nice job of avoiding significant injuries so far.
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