INDEPENDENCE — The Cavaliers know the Ricky Rubio they saw in 2023 wasn't, well, the real Ricky Rubio. And with the second unit needing some more firepower , they're eager to add "year two Ricky" to the roster this fall.
Rubio missed more than a full calendar year of basketball after tearing his ACL in December 2021. He returned this January, slowly building up his volume of minutes as he gets his legs back under him. As he rehabbed, he didn't have much in the way of 5-on-5 practice before returning to the rotation.
In 2021-22, before he tore his ACL, he was averaging 13.1 points and 6.6 assists in 28.5 minutes per game while making an immediate impact off the bench. After his return this season, he was on the floor for only 17.2 minutes per game and averaged 5.2 points and 3.5 assists.
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Rubio returned in the physical sense, but his surgically repaired knee wasn't going to let him return to form. Speaking after the conclusion of the Cavs' playoff run, which ended in a quick exit with a first-round playoff series loss in five games to the New York Knicks , Rubio acknowledged he never really returned to 100% health.
"Physically, not really, but it has to be everything — physically, mentally, rhythm of the game — and I didn't feel I got to [that] point," Rubio said. "Coming in the middle of the season is super hard. Being out 12 months, it's not easy, and I'm proud that I came back, but I'm disappointed that I didn't reach what I wanted."
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The Cavs knew to temper expectations. They had seen Rubio at his best — the highlight reel passes he made, his trademark with Team Spain in the Olympics and with several teams in the NBA — in the 34 games he played before being sidelined for a year.
In a way, Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman views the return of "year two Ricky" as a roster addition. It was part of Altman's message to Rubio in the team's exit interviews with players that the Cavs know he needed more time. But with him playing at his best, the Cavs' second unit reaches another level, which was badly needed in their series with the Knicks.
"Just from an analytics standpoint, anybody coming off an ACL standpoint, they lose 30 to- 40% capacity that first time back, that first year back because they missed 12 months of basketball," Altman said. "I said, look, we weren't expecting the Ricky — the Olympics Ricky — that we got in those 44 wins [in 2021-22]. We think year two Ricky's going to return to that because it's just really hard to miss 12 months of basketball and return the way he played for us the year before. And so, take a little pressure off of him knowing that his best basketball for us is going to be next year."
Rubio hasn't yet decided if he'll play for Team Spain in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. But he does feel the extra time on the floor in a competitive environment could help him prepare for the NBA's preseason this fall.
"I want to take my time, but I think it will help my rhythm, it will help myself," Rubio said. "But I want to know, I'm going to meet with my team as well, my personal team, see what's the best for me in rehab and I think I've got to get more strength on my lower legs, lower body and see what's the best for me. But, of course I always want to compete. The World Cup, it's something special as well, but I will take my time."
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ByRyanLewis .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Cavs Ricky Rubio eager to return to health after torn ACL
