Ricky Rubio wished he could have done more.
The Utah Jazz point guard was on a minutes restriction Monday night, his first game back after missing six straight with a strained hamstring.
But after a 109-104 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, Rubio said he was taking the long view on his recovery.
“You’ve got to trust the doctors,” he said. “They’re one of the best in the business. I want to be able to see the big picture. Sometimes it’s frustrating. Tonight I wish I would have played more minutes. But I know this is a marathon. It’s not just today. It’s a long season and I have to take care of my body.”
Rubio was effective in his first game back from injury, finishing with 12 points, 2 assists and 2 rebounds, despite being limited to just over 13 minutes of action.
“He came in and competed,” Jazz head coach Quin Snyder said. “It’s good to have him back. You feel his presence in the game. He didn’t try to come in and do too much. He just let the game come to him.”
After two weeks on the sidelines, Rubio said he struggled to find his rhythm early Monday night.
“In two weeks a lot of things have changed,” he said. “We run a couple of different plays and I have to adjust to that. … In the beginning, I didn’t but at the end I was controlling the tempo of the game, knowing what plays to run and then the shot was there.”
Rubio was injured early in a game on Jan. 7 and only had one full practice with the team before suiting up.
“I felt good,” he said after Monday’s game. “At first, I was forcing too much. But I felt good overall and I’m happy to be back.”