In life, Tona Vives raised, loved and supported her son.

In death, her spirit continues to motivate, fuel and inspire him.

That’s why Ricky Rubio proudly shared thoughts about the woman who means so much to him Sunday after winning the gold medal at the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China along with tournament MVP honors.

“I know she was behind me, pushing me every day to get the best out of me and I know there is nobody in this world who loved me more than her,” Rubio said in the postgame press conference following Spain’s 95-75 win over Argentina in the gold medal game in China.

Vives died in May 2016 after a four-year bout with lung cancer. She was just 56 years old.

“She’s still driving me every day,” Rubio continued. “Even if she’s not here, I feel it. It’s something that I’m really proud to have the mom that I have. I’ll keep going through her.”

This is a huge part of who the new point guard of the Phoenix Suns is.

We often get caught up in a player’s skill set, his strengths and his weaknesses. Perhaps more than anyone on the 2019-20 Suns, Rubio – and his game – will be praised, dissected and scrutinized.

He fills Phoenix’s most glaring need at point guard. The Suns are paying him $51 million on a three-year deal to make everyone else’s job easier.

Rubio isn’t the team’s best player. That’s Devin Booker.

He’s not the most talented player. That’s Deandre Ayton.

He’s not the most exciting, either. That’s Kelly Oubre Jr.

However, Rubio, 28, is arguably the most important because he’s a proven pure point guard who will called upon to push tempo, run the offense and play defense when it matters most.

When Phoenix wins, he’ll likely have a say in the outcome.

When they lose, he’ll shoulder some of the blame because he’s the Suns’ big free-agent catch. Either way, all eyes will be on him.

The man who has lions tattooed on his right arm is considered a big part of Phoenix’s plans and will play a bigger role in the desert than he ever did in Minnesota or Utah.

That’s pressure, but Rubio handled that very well leading Spain to a gold medal.

He averaged 16.4 points, six assists to 3.5 turnovers and 4.6 rebounds. Shooting 43.6% from the field, Rubio went 12-of-31 from 3 (38.7%) and 37-of-44 from the line (84.1).

Rubio isn’t going to put up that many points a game in Phoenix. He’s averaged 11.1 points in his eight NBA seasons. He’s plus-5 for his career for assists (7.7) to turnovers (2.7).

Phoenix could take him getting around 14 points, seven dimes to two turnovers and three or so rebounds a night, but it would be thrilled if Rubio shot more than 35 percent from 3.

Rubio is a career 32.2% shooter from 3. He made just 31.1% of his 3-pointers last season. Rubio is going to get open looks playing opposite of Booker.

The Suns need him to shoot better from 3 or he may find himself on the bench in close games with Booker handling the ball and Mikal Bridges out there giving them a better 3-point option.

Bridges shot 33.5% from 3 last season, but had 14 games in which he hit at least three 3-pointers. He’s gotten bigger and stronger over the summer, which should improve his 3-point shooting.

Plus, he’s already a better defender than Rubio. So keep an eye on how Phoenix uses both of them, but Rubio gives the Suns the experience they’ve lacked at the point and a winning mentality.

Rubio is coming from a playoff team. The Jazz made the playoffs the past two seasons with him starting at the point.

He just led Spain to gold in the World Cup.

“I came here with the mindset and the mindset was winning the gold medal no matter what,” Rubio said.

Rubio went for 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists to six turnovers in the gold-medal game.

“It’s just amazing how the whole tournament has been us as a team,” Rubio said. “You can tell. We weren’t the most talented team. We weren’t the bigger team. Put everything you want, but we were the team who has the big heart. We showed it tonight.”

Spain went undefeated in the World Cup with Rubio as their leading scorer and assist man.

“We showed it the whole tournament,” Rubio continued. “Couldn’t be more proud to have the teammates and the coaching staff that we have. We feel like this is going to go down as a memory for us as a family and that’s bigger than just winning the World Cup. It’s a family for life.”

Rubio is joining a new family in Phoenix that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2010 and experienced five straight losing seasons. The Suns added him to address their need at the point and give them experience and stability.

The Suns won’t make the playoffs this season, but they should be better with Rubio. He’s not an elite NBA point guard like Steph Curry, Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving or Russell Westbrook, but Phoenix is hoping he can help the franchise start taking strides toward becoming a postseason team in the future.

Have opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at [email protected] or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on Twitter at @DuaneRankin.

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