The new Suns: Culture change in Phoenix

The first integral addition

And that’s why the signing of Ricky Rubio was so pivotal to the overall evolution of change that Jones has brought to this franchise.

As a veteran starting point guard, Rubio has played (and had winning records) with young talent like Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert in Utah, and Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins in Minnesota.

Rubio has amassed career averages of 11.1 ppg, 7.7 apg, 4.2 rpg, 1.9 spg and shooting statistics of 38.8% from the field, 32.2% from beyond the arc, and 83.8% from the charity stripe.

But what excites both Jones and  Williams is that Rubio helped Mitchell, Gobert, Towns and Wiggins win in Utah and Minnesota respectively, and the 6-4 point guard is also regarded as a tenacious defender.

“I think the thing that impacted me more than anything is what he did in Utah,” said Williams. “They were in position a few years ago and he was able to make those guys better. I know he has the ability to do the same and more here.”

Williams and Jones have emphasized that the Suns will be built around their two stars Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton and the offseason moves have reflected that.

“Ricky is a phenomenal floor general…makes everyone around him better and we couldn’t be happier to add a player of his caliber and experience to our franchise,” added Jones.

Jones and Williams added an assistant coach that should help make the players better.