Report: Ricky Rubio expected to be 100 percent for training camp

It's a new day for the Minnesota Timberwolves, and their point guard should be fully healthy in time to help lead the charge into the future.

Point guard Ricky Rubio, who saw his season come to an end in March thanks to an ankle injury that ultimately required arthroscopic surgery, is expected to be 100-percent healed for training camp, Darren Wolfson of KSTP reports.

With the Wolves entrenched in a rebuild around consecutive No. 1 picks Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns (sorry, Anthony Bennett), there was speculation that Rubio may not be long for Minnesota. Still just 24 and with what he sees as the "right weapons" for a playoff push, that chatter has quieted down considerably since draft night.

Instead, Rubio will be tasked with helping lead the talented but inexperienced core. While the Wolves also have Kevin Garnett and Andre Miller around, Rubio could bridge the gap between youth and experience because he possesses both. He's young enough to still be a part of the core when the Wolves are ready to compete, but has four years of NBA experience and a wealth of high-level overseas playing time under his belt.

Rubio is entering the first season of a four-year, $55-million extension he signed last summer. While that salary is appreciable, and there are concerns that Rubio still hasn't shot 40 percent from the floor over an entire season, he's one of the league's most gifted playmakers and offensive visionaries, and he's an above-average defensive point guard.

With less defensive attention focused on him this year and a return to full health, Rubio could be in line for his best season yet. Over four years, he's averaged 10.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 8.2 assists, and 2.3 steals, averaging a remarkably similar stat line in each of his four seasons.