Veteran guard Ricky Rubio is back with the Cleveland Cavaliers after signing a three-year deal with the club.
Sources: The Cleveland Cavaliers signed Ricky Rubio to a three-year, $18.4 million deal, which is fully guaranteed the first two seasons and is partially guaranteed for $4.25 million for the 2024-25 season, @hoopshype has learned. https://t.co/qJAEy5gbDn
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) July 9, 2022
Rubio got a taste of the Cavs organization during the 2021-22 season, as he started the campaign with Cleveland before a torn ACL threw a wrench in his season.
The injury ended his season, and it led to the Cavs trading him away in a deal to acquire Caris LeVert.
Given Rubio’s decision to re-sign with Cleveland this offseason, he clearly enjoyed the time he spent with the organization during the 2021-22 campaign.
The Cavs are certainly happy to have him back, and the hope is that he’ll help the team reach the playoffs in the 2022-23 season and beyond.
Here are a few keys for Rubio in his second stint with Cleveland.
3. Continue To Lead
It’s no secret that the Cavs are a very young team.
Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, and Evan Mobley are arguably the Cavs’ three most important players, and they’re all 24 years old or younger.
Having a plethora of young talent is always a good thing, but it’s important to surround that talent with some veteran leadership.
That’s where a player like Rubio comes in.
At 31 years old, Rubio has been around the block in the NBA.
He has played for four teams and is entering his 12th season in the league.
He knows what it’s like to deal with adversity, and he certainly has what it takes to lead a team like the Cavs through the ups and downs of an NBA season.
2. Improve In The Efficiency Department
Efficiency has never been Rubio’s best friend in the NBA.
For his career, he’s a 38.9 percent shooter from the field and 32.6 percent shooter from beyond the arc.
In 34 games with the Cavs last season, he shot just 36.3 percent from the field and 33.9 percent from deep.
Now, to be clear, Rubio has never really been known as a scorer, as the majority of his value on the offensive side of the ball comes from his playmaking abilities.
He averages 7.6 assists per game for his career.
We could watch Ricky Rubio pass the basketball all day.#LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/qJmkotThbW
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) December 4, 2021
But it certainly wouldn’t hurt to see him improve his shooting clips slightly, as efficiency is everything in today’s NBA.
This would really help him take his game to the next level.
1. Stay Healthy
Of course, it’s hard to make an impact from the bench.
Staying healthy is going to be crucial for Rubio in the years ahead, as few things are more important than being available.
To his credit, prior to the 2021-22 campaign, he had played in at least 65 games in six consecutive seasons.
That’s an impressive streak, and the Cavs would love to see him start a similar one soon.
The guard will likely miss the start of the 2022-23 season while he continues to recover from his ACL injury, so patience will definitely be key along the way.
But with any luck, the former first-round pick will find himself in the lineup on a regular basis for the Cavs for years to come.
That’s the outcome everyone is hoping for.
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