Has Rubio lived up to Phoenix Suns’ expectations thus far?

When Ricky Rubio signed with the Phoenix Suns this offseason, he was filling a gap the team had been desperately trying to fill with unproven rookies. Has he lived up to fan’s expectations?

The Phoenix Suns are 9-11 a quarter of the way through the season. At the same point last year, the Suns were at a dismal 4-16. A lot of the new success can be credited to the offseason moves the team made, one of which being the signing of Ricky Rubio. The pass first point guard has brought open looks, and better shots to all of his new teammates, along with taking pressure off some of the stars.

Rubio is averaging career bests in the three major statistical categories (scoring, rebounding, and assists). When he takes the court, he is able to get Kelly Oubre and Devin Booker some great scoring looks, not to mention the pick and roll game that he runs with Aron Baynes. This is ball movement the Suns have not experienced since the days of Steve Nash.

One of the blaring weaknesses of Rubio, however, is his shooting ability. Teams will dare him to shoot based on numbers that are way less than ideal for a point guard. While his numbers have not drastically improved, they have increased which is great for someone who is the 4th scoring option.

Defensively, it is safe to say the entire team has improved. Gone are the days of teams getting 5 plus offensive rebounds because of lack of effort. Rubio has also benefited from this extra team effort on defense. The Suns are slowly being recognized as a defensive team, instead of the embarrassment of what they have been the past few years.

Rubio has had a little problem with injuries this year, even though he has only missed 5 games. If he and the rest of the team can consistently stay healthy, then Suns fans should be very excited for the rest of the season.

Has Rubio lived up to the offseason hype? The short answer is yes. The long answer is, he has filled the role of a pass first point guard exceptionally well. Point guard was the number one need heading into the offseason, and Rubio has been worth every cent the Sun’s have given him.