Phoenix Suns: 3 players facing the most pressure in 2019-20

1. Ricky Rubio

Ricky Rubio was not a cheap investment for the Phoenix Suns.

At three years and $51 million, Rubio now sits as the 17th-highest paid point guard in the league heading into next season. While he fills a huge void for the squad, it cannot be understated that expectations will be sky high for the Spaniard.

That being said, Rubio does bring some balance to the Suns. He comes in with a career 7.7 assists average and an ability to run the offense as he’s done for the eight years of his career. That will reduce the amount of stress on Devin Booker to be the Suns’ facilitator.

Rubio may not average 20 points a game for Phoenix, but he also carries an ability to score the ball when called upon. Last season Rubio finished with the second-highest effective field goal percentage of his career (45.8 percent), despite only averaging 12.7 points a contest.

While Rubio may not be a star-caliber guard, he’s exactly the type of guard the Suns lacked last season.

The only problem being that Rubio might not live up to the expectations of the Phoenix fan base.

Most expected the Suns to make a splash in free agency with a number of high-profile free agents being available during the 2019 NBA offseason, but instead general manager James Jones and management opted to sign the veteran guard.

In the long run, that will most likely enhance the development of the young Phoenix core, but in the short-term Rubio may not exceed expectations that stem from his high-paying contract.

While the Phoenix Suns found their experienced point guard in free agency, it might be an understatement to say Rubio will be feeling the pressure to perform in his opening year with the franchise.