Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Ricky Rubio was in the midst of a breakout campaign in his first season with the team.
Unfortunately, that all came to an end after he apparently suffered a serious knee injury in Tuesday night’s loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. The play in question is hard to watch.
Cleveland’s fear of a serious knee injury were confirmed Wednesday afternoon. After undergoing tests, Rubio suffered a torn ACL and is out for the remainder of the season.
Ricky Rubio injury and impact on the Cleveland Cavaliers
The veteran former lottery pick had taken on an increased role in Cleveland with Collin Sexton sidelined for the season due to an injury of his own.
He’s been instrumental in the Cavaliers’ surprising 20-14 start to the 2021-22 campaign. It’s also going to lead to some depth issues for Cleveland.
- Ricky Rubio starts (2021-22 season): 13.1 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 6.6 APG, 36% shooting, 34% three-point
Sure shooting continues to be an issue for Rubio (career 39% from the field). But his veteran presence and ability to distribute the ball has helped stud young guard Darius Garland take his own game to the next level.
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With Rubio now sidelined for the remainder of the season, Cleveland will likely rely on Garland to be more ball-dominant. It also wouldn’t be a huge surprise if Denzel Valentine and Isaac Okoro got more play at the two-guard spot next to Garland.