Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ricky Rubio recently made his way back from a torn ACL injury he suffered last season, and it seems like things are going pretty well.
“I work hard and feel the best I’ve felt in my career,” Rubio said. “But now, it’s time to really like everything I did off the court, or not in the game, translate it to the game. The speed, everything is different. Feels a little weird, still, but getting there.”
Rubio has looked a bit rusty at times in his five appearances this season for the Cavs, but that’s to be expected. As the season wears on, he’ll surely get more and more comfortable on the court.
He’s currently recording 4.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per contest. The Spaniard is struggling a bit with his shooting efficiency, as he’s connecting on just 30.8 percent of his shots from the field and 25.0 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.
His best game this season arguably came in his return against the Portland Trail Blazers.
The former first-round pick spent a decent part of last season with Cavs, making a very positive impact and playing a big veteran leader role before being traded to the Indiana Pacers in a midseason trade that netted the Cavs Caris LeVert.
The 32-year-old then rejoined the Cavs last offseason on a three-year deal worth just under $19 million.
One of the things Rubio is known for is being one of the two point guards the Minnesota Timberwolves selected instead of Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry in the 2009 NBA Draft.
While he isn’t the player that Curry is, Rubio has provided solid all-around play to his teams throughout his career. He holds career averages of 11.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game.
Cleveland is bringing Rubio back along slowly, as he hasn’t topped 19 minutes of playing time in any of his recent appearances. His minutes will likely continue to increase as the season goes on.
The Cavs are currently in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with a 29-19 record and hold a three-game lead over the Miami Heat in sixth place.
