Kelly Oubre is the tape of love that holds the Phoenix Suns together

Coming into this season, Kelly Oubre Jr. has talked nothing but team and community, preaching hope and optimism in an era in which Phoenix Suns fans have had almost none.

In The Flight of the Conchords’ 2013 sneaky classic ballad, Pencils in the Wind, they remind us that love is the greatest adhesive of all adhesives. For the Phoenix Suns, Kelly Oubre Jr. is the sticky stuff.

Last December, the Suns traded malcontent and neck tattoo pioneer, Trevor Ariza, for fellow malcontent Austin Rivers and the spunky 6-foot-7 swingman with a 7-foot-2 wingspan, Kelly Oubre Jr.

Rivers never played a game for the Suns, but Oubre made a bit splash. It wasn’t just spunk and length the Suns got with Oubre, they got youth too.

Like an instant adrenaline shot, he was able to run the break, pull up from 3, and play scrappy defense. It was a stark contrast to Ariza’s melatonin-like play.

In 40 games for the Suns, Oubre Jr. averaged almost 17 points and 5 rebounds, shooting a respectable 0.515 eFG%.

“We are like-minded individuals, so we just help each other a lot…it was just organic,” Oubre said about his transition to Phoenix.

But it is not just what Oubre brought this team and its fans on the court that has made him such an important figure in the Valley. It is what he has done off the court as well.

Instead of competing against the other young players on the roster, he competed with them, bringing a unifying spirit to a team that had no spirit at all.

That spirit was quickly transferred to all those fans who were still watching this wilting desert flower of a team at the time of the trade.

It is hard not to be taken in by Oubre’s charm. He plays with a swagger; the kind of swagger that comes through winks and smiles, not a fake mean-face swagger some players adopt when trying to act tough.

Even when Oubre puts on the mean-face there is still a winking smile interwoven into his fabric that refuses to let faux machismo take over. He seems to understand he plays a kid’s game for a living and whenever he steps on the hardwood, everything becomes more interesting.

It is a pleasure Suns fans should not take for granted.

This was never more evident than last week’s Valley Boyz pop-up store event held for Ayton’s charity benefiting hurricane victims in his native homeland of the Bahamas.

It was an event featuring many prominent Suns players, including Ayton and Booker. Lines started forming at 3:00 a.m. and went for blocks, bringing players and fans together for a good time and a good cause.

This is the essence of Kelly Oubre Jr.: love. It is what makes Oubre the greatest adhesive there is.