Mar 4, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ricky Rubio (13) shoots in the fourth quarter against the Detroit Pistons at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
The Cavs will need to see a lot more from these key role players if they want to enter the NBA Playoffs with any confidence about a championship run.
Through the first few weeks of the season, the Cavs looked like one of the premier teams in the Eastern Conference. Donovan Mitchell was hitting everything, the defense was stifling and the impending returns of Darius Garland and Ricky Rubio promised in-season upgrades.
But as the regular season hits its final phase the Cavs seem closer to the middle of the pack in the East than the upper echelons. As of this writing, they’re No. 4 in the Eastern Conference, three games behind the Philadelphia 76ers for the No. 3 seed but just three games ahead of the Brooklyn Nets who are at No. 6.
There is still plenty of time to build momentum before the postseason begins but the Cavs will need much larger contributions from those role players over the next few weeks.
These 3 Cavs need to step up before the NBA Playoffs:
3. Ricky Rubio
It’s understandable that Rubio’s numbers look terrible. He’s played just 19 games after missing essentially an entire year to a torn ACL. But if he is still shooting under 40 percent from the field and under 30 percent from beyond the arc when the playoffs begin, he may be basically unplayable, especially in later rounds.
If he’s healthy and effective, Rubio is a table-setter who can help maximize both Garland and Mitchell and help out with tougher backcourt matchups. If he’s nothing more than a veteran leader at the end of the bench it puts a lot more pressure on Mitchell and Garland to create and could make the Cavs’ lack of effective wing shooters even more noticeable.