Ricky Rubio is hopeful of a return to action before the end of the year.

The 21-year-old point guard has been sidelined since undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee on March 21.

"I'm eager to start running, and I think in December I would be ready to play," Rubio said.

Rubio expressed optimism in his first media appearance after the surgery.

"You always have to think about everything, but you just have to keep the right (thoughts)," he said in April. "Because if not, you can think, ‘I got hurt. I'm going to be out for six, nine months, and maybe I'm not going to be the player that I was before.' That's not the right thing. It can be. But it can be that you are better than you were."