Phoenix Suns: 4 reasons why the new-look Suns will make the playoffs

The new guys

The Ricky Rubio and Aron Baynes acquisitions the Phoenix Suns made over the summer have been huge for the team’s early success.

Baynes has never been a box score player but the advanced metrics all seem to love him and they actually paint him as one of the more valuable players in the entire league.

And his value has certainly been on full display this year, especially in Ayton’s absence. He’s been doing all the little things that contribute to winning, whether that be setting solid screens, grabbing rebounds or playing good interior defense.

He’s also been making it rain from deep so far, connecting on 46% of his triple tries, while taking over four a game! That level of efficiency may not be sustainable over the course of a full season but everything else Aron Baynes does certainly is.

And now onto Ricky…

Despite the move being initially criticized by many, Rubio is proving to be a great fit at point guard for the Suns. He’s never wowed people with his box score numbers or his shooting efficiency but he’s always made his teams better on both ends when he is in the game.

On defense, he has always been a pest, able to pick up steals and create turnovers. As well as being a pretty good on-ball stopper, Ricky’s smarts and instincts mean he can often read plays and react by getting into the right positions at the most opportune times away from the ball.

On offense, he has made strides as a shooter but on that end, his biggest value is as a floor general and distributor. And I don’t think anyone is benefitting from this more than Devin Booker.