Cavaliers Veteran Looking To Make Long-Awaited Return On Thursday

After a year on the sidelines, Cleveland Cavaliers veteran Ricky Rubio is reportedly looking to make his long-awaited NBA return on Thursday versus the Portland Trail Blazers, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports.

ESPN Sources: After a full year of rehabilitating an ACL tear in his left knee, Cavaliers guard Ricky Rubio is targeting a return against the Trail Blazers on Thursday. Rubio will practice today, and if all goes well, play in Portland tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/wB5RzNhRdy
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 11, 2023

As Woj mentioned, Rubio will need to overcome Wednesday's practice without any setbacks before setting his comeback date in stone.

The Spaniard tore his left ACL on December 28, 2021, and has been rehabbing over the past year.

Rubio had been having a fantastic season with the Cavaliers last year prior to suffering the knee injury. In 34 games in the 2021-22 season, he averaged 13.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 6.6 assists while pacing Cleveland to a 20-14 mark.

The Cavaliers traded Rubio to the Indiana Pacers for Caris LeVert at the deadline last year, but the 32-year-old came back and re-signed with Cleveland as a free agent in the offseason.

The Cavs are currently the 5th seed in the Western Conference with a 26-16 record.