Ricky Rubio's return to form was, many predicted, just a matter of time. And the time is now.

Almost a year removed from tearing his ACL, Rubio is drawing attention for his recent strong play. Our own Kent Youngblood noted several nice numbers from Rubio's recent handful of games, while nationally Rob Mahoney from SI.com took a longer look at the revived Rubio. A takeaway:

Rubio's resurrected confidence has bolstered his entire game, though now the Wolves are learning to work alongside a player with whom they're not quite familiar. It'll take some time, and isn't likely to pay off quickly enough for 12th-place Minnesota to return to the Western Conference playoff race. That's a shame given all that the Wolves have endured this season, though I suspect they'll settle for getting all of their core pieces healthy for a new season and seeing an animated Rubio in full command of his game once again.

Well-stated, and true.