Cavaliers Playmaker Ricky Rubio Expected To Return Against Blazers

Fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers have had quite a bit to be excited about this season.

The Cavs are one of the best teams in the NBA today, currently sitting in the fifth seed of the Eastern Conference with a 26-16 win-loss record and just four games back from the top spot.

Leading the way for the Cavaliers is three-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell, who's having quite the season in his first year in Cleveland, which includes a history-making 71-point outburst.

Backing Mitchell up is a dynamic core of players, led by young All-Stars Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen, as well as Evan Mobley, Caris LeVert and Kevin Love.

Now, it looks like the Cavaliers are about to get some major help in the guard spot.

ESPN's Senior NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported that veteran playmaker Ricky Rubio will be making his return this Thursday, January 12 when the Cavaliers face the Portland Trail Blazers.

Rubio, 32, has been out of action since he suffered an ACL injury on his left knee back on December 28, 2021.

An 11-year veteran in the NBA, Rubio was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2009, but only came to the NBA in 2011.

Being one of the most talked-about players on the international scene back then, his arrival to the NBA was surrounded by a ton of hype.

The Spanish court general delivered immediately as he posted a near-double double average of 10.6 points and 8.2 assists per game in his rookie season.

Rubio would continue to be a solid play-caller for the Timberwolves over the next five seasons, consistently averaging around 10 points and eight assists per game.

Rubio would be traded to the Utah Jazz in 2017 and would spend the next two seasons in Salt Lake City, where he was instrumental to the Jazz's playoff runs.

He would also enjoy a bump up in scoring, averaging nearly 13 points a game in his two seasons with the Jazz.

In 2019, Rubio joined the Phoenix Suns on a three-year, $51-million deal and would again be a solid backcourt presence for the Suns, norming 13 markers, 8.8 dimes, and 4.7 boards per game.

In 2020, Rubio would be traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder and then back to the Minnesota Timberwolves just two days later.

In 2021, he would play 68 more games for the Timberwolves, scoring 8.6 points and 6.4 boards per game.

A few months later, Rubio would be traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers and become one of the cornerstones of the team's revitalization.

In the 34 games prior to his aforementioned ACL injury, Rubio tallied 13.1 points and 6.6 assists, including a 37-point explosion that saw him connect on 8 3-pointers.

Rubio would be traded to the Indiana Pacers in 2022 but would never suit up for the team due to his injury.

Later that year, Rubio signed a three-year, $18-million deal to return to the Cavs.