The impact and necessity of Ricky Rubio on the Suns

Ricky Rubio is not a perfect fit on the Phoenix Suns, but after Media Day, it’s abundantly clear his impact will be greater than most people expect.

The Phoenix Suns haven’t had a legitimate starting-caliber point guard for the better part of two years, but when they signed Ricky Rubio to a three-year, $51 million contract over the summer, the move was largely panned as a head-scratching reach.

Ricky Rubio? Why would they overpay for an average point guard who can’t shoot? The Suns know they’re not a playoff team, right?

That line of reasoning was the general consensus, mostly because the Suns have become a recurring punchline. Considering the alternative — that Phoenix actually made a sensible move by slightly overpaying a respected veteran guard to address a glaring position of need — requires more than two seconds of thought. They’re not the Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden Oklahoma City Thunder of old; their steps will have to be incremental.

The Suns, however, had all summer to think about what Rubio brings to the table, and to even see it in action thanks to his encouraging performance with Spain in the FIBA World Cup. Media Day is usually rife with excitement and false promises for every team in the league, but for a franchise that desperately needs to start climbing back toward respectability and stability, one common theme stood out: Ricky Rubio could be exactly what this young group needs.

FIBA momentum

At various points last year, the Suns trotted out Isaiah Canaan, two second-round rookies, Devin Booker and combo guard Tyler Johnson at the 1. Suffice it to say landing a legitimate starting point guard was Phoenix’s top offseason priority.

“It was critical,” general manager James Jones said. “I admit, last year we didn’t give the players every opportunity to be successful. It’s tough to ask young players to direct a team, it’s tough to ask Devin to do so many things — playmaking, scoring and creating for his teammates. So the addition of Ricky gives us a leader. Established, proven and hungry. Ricky, if you saw what he did this summer, he’s just hitting his peak.”

Rubio’s performance at the FIBA World Cup, where he won tournament MVP honors and led Spain to the gold medal, has only heightened expectations. In China, he averaged 16.4 points, 6.0 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game while making 38.7 percent of his 3.9 long range attempts per game. In the final, he notched 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists to lead the way for Spain.

“I was geeked, it made me look great,” Jones said. “But that’s what Ricky does: He makes everyone look good.”

Aron Baynes, who was told by Rubio that the Aussie now had to refer to him as “MVP,” believes the FIBA experience was the perfect way to enter a new NBA season.

“Being able to play competitive basketball against really good players at a high level is a great thing,” he said. “There’s no better preparation for us coming into camp, and we’re looking forward to trying to continue what we were able to do in summer.”

As for the Spaniard himself, who said he’s in the best shape he’s ever been in, Rubio sees some similarities between his FIBA team and this new-look Suns squad.

“At the beginning of the tournament, nobody counted on us, nobody really believed in us that we could do something,” he said. “But my mentality was the same from day one, which was, we were gonna win it. The same thing when I come here, with the mentality to really put this team in the playoff race, and who knows, maybe in the playoffs. Not a lot of people put us in that situation, but our mentality has to be that way.”

Vocal leadership

Rubio doesn’t look the part of vocal leader. From his unselfish play style, to his quiet voice, to his receptive eyes, right down to his manbun, his disposition screams “soft-spoken.” And yet, his cordial, reserved disposition belies his inner fire as a competitor.

“Look how quiet Rubio look,” Deandre Ayton said. “He look like he yell? Man, I heard him and [Rudy] Gobert go at it a couple times [in Utah], and I’m like, ‘Oh!’”

Indeed, the Suns’ GM, new head coach and players were all buzzing about the calming but authoritative presence Rubio will bring to a young core in need of a proper example. Phoenix has heard this story before with Tyson Chandler, Jared Dudley, Trevor Ariza and the like, but unlike those three, Rubio is still in his prime as he approaches his 29th birthday, rather than already over the hill (or simply showing up to collect his paychecks for a few months, like Ariza).

Having a well-respected player locked into a handsome three-year deal could work wonders for a team that spent its summer adding players who A) have experienced playoff basketball before and B) can still contribute to winning.

“Their experience excites me,” head coach Monty Williams said. “It’s not just the obvious playing experience. Those guys know what a playoff day looks like. They know what a tough practice feels like. They know what you’re going to say before you say it. That is something that can translate to the guys that may not understand why we have to watch film today, why we have to practice. Those guys can say, ‘This is what winners do.’”

Early indications from training camp are that Rubio is already holding his teammates accountable, which is a refreshing change of pace. People are quick to forget the team’s two cornerstones and future leaders, Booker and Ayton, are still only 22 and 21 years old, respectively.

“His veteran leadership and tenacity for the game, I think it’s gonna be contagious,” Booker said.

On the court

Telling young players how to play is one thing, but the Suns haven’t been lacking in that department over the years. What they’ve needed is a vocal leader who can actually back up his talk on the court.

On the offensive end, it starts with feeding Booker — a guy who averaged 26.6 points per game on 58.4 percent true shooting last year — and Ayton, who posted 16.3 points and 10.3 boards per game as a rookie without an actual point guard. It’s no secret the addition of Rubio should allow Ayton to feast like never before.

“He’s gonna definitely find all of us,” Ayton said. “We finally got a facilitator to see the whole floor for us, just put us in spots. We’ve never been there before. I don’t even know what the man is capable of. I’m just sitting here watching, picturing, I’m seeing [Karl-Anthony Towns] dunk, just picturing myself in that situation, you know? I’m trying to really lock in and watch film ‘cause he’s got some dart passes, man. Sometimes you might not even be ready for that type of pass.”

The Rubio-Ayton pick-and-roll will need some work. Ayton only ranked in the 59th percentile as the roll man in PNR situations last season, per NBA.com, while Rubio was only in the 39th percentile among pick-and-roll ball-handlers.

Where Rubio will really be able to help the former No. 1 pick is with his ability to drive and dump to one of the NBA’s most efficient finishers. Among 26 players with at least 800 drives last year, the Spaniard finished third in assist percentage (15.0 percent). That should pair beautifully with a seven-footer who converted 71.2 percent of his shots within five feet of the basket (ranked eighth out of 148 players with at least 200 attempts from that range).

Considering the Suns had problems even throwing entry passes to their Bahamian behemoth last year, whatever ball-handling and facilitation Rubio can provide will serve as a major upgrade.

“He’s a hard guy to stop because he has a system, but he’s also able to see so many things within that system, so you can’t really stop one thing,” Baynes said. “That’s why I’m excited to play with him. He’s gonna be able to learn the system really quickly and he’s gonna be able to pick pieces apart or find areas that he can really impact the game.”

As for how he sees himself meshing with Phoenix’s two franchise pillars, Rubio didn’t try to pull any punches at Media Day. He pointed out they had never practiced together, so it was too soon to say how they complement each other. Instead, he prefers to watch film first to learn the intricacies of their games and get a sense of what they like.

“I can give you an answer that I’ve been doing with some of the players like Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, Donovan Mitchell, a lot of young stars who I’ve played with, and I understand what they need to make them better, so that’s one of the things I bring to the table,” Rubio said. “I expect to make them better if that’s possible, but not better number-wise, better in the winning-wise.”

Backcourt bonding with Booker

Having a credible playmaker undoubtedly makes Ayton’s life easier, but how Rubio builds chemistry with his backcourt partner will ultimately determine his value in Phoenix. Rubio is a non-threat from 3-point range, which could hamper Booker’s playmaking ability and Phoenix’s spacing when the young star has the ball.

However, Book will no longer be relied upon to both score and create for his teammates, and Rubio’s court vision and passing ability should provide easier looks off the ball and off movement — like Booker was originally pegged entering the draft as a spot-up shooter. Book shot a career-worst 32.6 percent from 3-point range last year, but that’s because a whopping 234 of his 414 attempts were on pull-ups. He only made 29.1 percent of those looks, but knocked down 37.6 percent of his 173 catch-and-shoot 3s.

The young shooting guard went as far as suggesting that Rubio’s arrival could enhance his playmaking skills, even while taking the ball out of his hands.

“He’s a guy that can put people in the right places at the right time,” Booker said. “So having a guy that can take that stress off me is gonna be a big help. But at the same time, I’m learning from him. The way he playmakes, I want to learn that aspect of his game, and the way he thinks the game.”

Finding the right balance in ball-handling duties will be the key for Rubio and Booker, and head coach Monty Williams revealed his plan for doing so: by getting out of their way.

“The ball always finds the best players,” he said. “The ball finds energy and it finds talent. That’s known. Devin knows how to play off of guys, how to play with the ball, and he understands Ricky’s gonna help him be more efficient.”

While Williams admitted that balance will probably lean toward Rubio handling the rock most of the time, the Suns’ new head coach will adapt his game plan based on the natural cohesion they develop — something he learned from his mentor, Gregg Popovich.

“That’s not something I want to choreograph every night,” he said. “We have a value system, but Pop taught me a long time ago, rules can stifle talent. And if your rules are stifling your talent, then you need to change your rules, not your talent.”

After years and years of cycling through talent, the Phoenix Suns are aiming for stability in order to build their foundation. With Rubio locked into a three-year deal and already looking like the veteran leader this team needs, finding the right rules to accommodate both Book and his new backcourt partner is paramount.