Recently, Rubio was interviewed and talked about his future career plans, Rubio said: "When my son starts school, the NBA is not so important, I want to go back to accompany him, I don't want to start making friends at the age of six and still take him around, so he will be confused, I discussed with my wife, we are all very clear, one day, basketball will no longer be the most important thing in my life." 」 ”
Rubio's younger son is named Liam, 2 years old this year, according to Rubio, then he will only continue to fight in the NBA for four years at most, considering that the children now go to school earlier, this time may be further compressed, maybe in two or three years, Rubio will leave the NBA completely.
You know, Rubio is only 31 years old now, and with the state he has shown in the past few years, it is not a problem to play for another four or five years.
This season, Rubio has played in 34 games for the Cavaliers, averaging 13.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game, extending to the past three seasons, Rubio's performances are:
- 2018-19 season, averaging 12.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game (Jazz)
- In 2019-20, he averaged 13.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 8.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game (Suns)
— 2020-21, averaging 8.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game (Timberwolves)
During his time with the Timberwolves last season, Rubio's role was somewhat weakened, and many stats fell to new career lows, but after joining the Cavaliers, Rubio regained more opportunities, and although he was only a substitute, his use of the ball reached 23.4%, which is the highest value of Rubio's career.
It should be said that Rubio's personal offense is still not well-informed, and this season his shooting rate is only 36.3%, his three-point shooting rate is 33.9%, and his true shooting rate is only 48.8%, which is definitely not outstanding.
But Rubio can help the team in other ways, in addition to organizing the offense, his performance on the defensive end is also very amazing, this season Rubio's opponents only shot 39.7% from the field, three-point shooting rate of only 25.4% - "I don't understand the offense, you don't want to understand", probably this is what it means.
The importance of Rubio can also be reflected in the statistics, so far in the season:
- When Rubio was on the floor, the Cavaliers conceded 99.5 points per 100 rounds, outscoring their opponents by 9.1 points
- Rubio was not present, and the Cavaliers conceded 106.9 points per 100 rounds, outscoring their opponents by 1.7 points
The most important reason why the Cavaliers have been able to improve by leaps and bounds this season is the defense, and Rubio is the defensive gate on the team's outside line, which is also his most trustworthy place.
Rubio's teammate Uthman said in the interview: "It was Rubio and Mobley who turned us from a good team into an elite team. ”
Unfortunately, Rubio suffered a cruciate ligament tear not long ago and had to be reimbursed for the season, and in this interview, Rubio also talked about the injury: "This is the second time in my career that I have been seriously injured, and I have been sad all day. ”
It is worth mentioning that this year is still Rubio's contract year, originally according to the performance before the injury, he was likely to win another ten million contract, but because of the injury and future uncertainty, Rubio's offseason value may decline a little.
Life is bigger than basketball, we can fully understand Rubio's decision, now only hope that he can come back soon, get a contract in the offseason, and then continue to help his team as a veteran.
And have to sigh, time really passed too fast, the impression of Rubio is still in the Beijing Olympic Games that long-haired fluttering golden boy, now have 31 years old, so many years can not be particularly successful, after all, the playoffs have only played twice, but also left a lot of stories, the future of his games in the NBA, and to see and cherish.