Collin Gillespie and Devin Booker (Photo by Zhizhao Wu/Getty Images)
As the ball dropped into the basket following nearly every one of Collin Gillespie’s shot attempts, his teammates increasingly talked trash both on the court and from the bench.
The moment understandably could have led Gillespie to join the fun. He helped the Phoenix Suns to a 125-108 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday at Crypto.com Arena with a career-high 28 points while shooting 10-for-19 from the field and 8-for-14 from 3-point range. With Suns star Devin Booker sidelined for the entire second half with a groin injury, Gillespie filled in his absence with 16 fourth-quarter points and four consecutive 3s.
Instead, Gillespie let his teammates brag on his behalf.
“I don’t really like to do that stuff. I guess it’s because I come from Villanova,” Gillespie said. “Coach [Jay] Wright would be pissed if we were doing that. It’s just one of those things where you get into the game and you rattle off a couple of buckets in a row. And then you’re just talking to your teammates. I don’t really talk to other players, unless they talk to me.”
That hardly describes Suns forward Dillon Brooks, who trolled Lakers star LeBron James while posting 33 points on 15-for-26 shooting. Brooks pointed at his wrist after each made shot. Brooks talked trash to James both on the court and while he tried to joke with his Suns teammates. Afterwards, Brooks said that James “likes people that are going to bow down. I don’t bow down.”
“Sometimes I tell him to chill out,” Gillespie said, grinning. “But I think he just blacks out.”
Not completely. Gillespie shouted to Brooks on the other side of the locker room and informed him that reporters had asked about his trash-talking. Brooks affirmed, “I don’t like people.” Brooks likes Gillespie, though, and even nicknamed him “Villain Jr.” during training camp.
“He wanted that nickname,” Brooks said of Gillespie. “He plays hard. He’s got that dog in him. You look at him, and you don’t think he’s a basketball player and whatnot. But the whole summer, he’s been working. In training camp, he proved it every single day that he belongs. If you can shoot the ball, you can be on any team. You just have to play hard. He has that. He’s a Villanova boy, a Philly boy. So he’s got that heart.”
Running With His Opportunity
So much heart that Gillespie earned a valued reserve role after signing with the Suns last season on a two-way contract. Gillespie spent the previous two seasons with the Denver Nuggets with a similar arrangement. Before trying to prove himself both in the NBA and the G League, Gillespie missed his entire rookie season after having offseason surgery to treat a fracture in his lower left leg. Two years later, Gillespie has averaged 13.4 points while shooting 44.6% from the field, and 44.2% from deep, along with 5.0 assists in 26.8 minutes per game.
“It started way before the moment. He’s been putting in the work,” Booker said of Gillespie. “He’s been putting in the work all summer. Everybody is just now seeing it. But we’ve been seeing it in open gyms. We’ve been seeing it in practice. So I’m happy for him that he’s gotten to show the world what he’s capable of doing.”
Gillespie seems capable of doing many things.
The Suns said that Gillespie has become the second player in NBA history, behind LaMelo Ball to post at least 150 points, 60 rebounds, and 75 assists in a player’s first 15 games of a season off the bench. Gillespie made a game-winning 10-foot jumper in a comeback win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Gillespie sank at least three 3s in seven consecutive games, tying Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell and teammate Royce O’Neale for the NBA’s longest active streak. Phoenix (13-9) ranks seventh in the Western Conference partly because Gillespie has thrived both with and without Booker.
“When you play with superstars, you have to be aggressive yourself. You can’t defer,” Suns coach Jordan Ott said. “Defenses figure that thing out. He’s aggressive, no matter who’s on the floor with him. So it obviously helps to have another ball handler out there at times with how defenses are playing with Book. He can not only make a play. But he also can spot up and shoot. I think that’s an important piece playing with Book.”
Gillespie spoke with RG.org about his chemistry with Booker, challenging him in off-season golfing competitions, Brooks’ nickname for him, and how his career path shaped him.
Editor’s note: The following one-on-one interview has been edited and condensed.
Interview with Collin Gillespie
– What explains you being prepared for your big role this season?
Gillespie: I’m just staying ready and staying in the gym last season, this season and this summer. In the G League last year, I was getting reps there. I just put a lot of work in and tried to stay ready. I was in the gym multiple times throughout the day. I didn’t really change much of what I’ve been doing and since I’ve gotten in the league.
I just remained consistent and found a routine and made sure that I’m lifting and in the gym every day. I have good people at home that help me get work in. I get a ton of shots and some live reps with guys guarding me. That has all been really helpful. This summer, I was here a lot. So I was getting familiar with the staff and getting comfortable and confident in what we’re doing and what we’re trying to do on the floor. That also helps as well.
– Book said he wasn’t surprised with how well you’re playing partly because he saw some of the work you outlined and how well you played in camp. What do you think you showed during those practices?
Gillespie: I was just playing, honestly. I wasn’t trying to show anything. I was just really going out there playing, competing, and trying to win games. I was competitive in pickup games and was just myself.
– Jordan Ott’s been impressed with how aggressive you remain whether you’re playing with or without Book. What goes into having that steadiness?
Gillespie: It’s always got to be the same. You always got to come in with the same aggressive mindset that you’re going to score and look for your shots. Obviously with Jalen [Green] out and Grayson [Allen] has been out, there’s a lot of attention on Book right now. He’s getting double-teamed, and they’re showing a lot of bodies toward him. So everybody’s got to be aggressive and try to make plays and be comfortable and confident with shooting the ball. I feel like that is something that I’m comfortable with doing. I try to take some pressure off of him and alleviate some of that pressure. Then when he’s on the floor, I try to make it easier any way that I can for him.
– Now you’ve gotten that experience with Book, what do you see from him day-to-day?
Gillespie: He’s a great player. Obviously, he’s one of the best players in the league. He’s a prolific scorer. But he’s also really impressed me with his playmaking ability. He always makes the right plays. He plays basketball the right way. He never forces anything. He’s a winner. He tries to win basketball games in any way possible. He doesn’t worry about his own stuff. Obviously, there are some guys in the league that do that. He’s really just worried about winning and trying to help us win any way that we can.
– What is Book like as a leader?
Gillespie: He’s vocal in terms of leadership with what he sees on the floor. Then he’s also a team guy. We all went to Flagstaff (Ariz.) to his place this summer. We were there for that for a few days and had a little minicamp with the rest of the team. So he’s been a great leader in our locker room with a bunch of younger guys and older guys. So he’s been awesome.
– What were the highlights during the get-together in Flagstaff?
Gillespie: We played a lot of pickup. We went to his house and chilled there. I golfed with him a couple of times. It was good.
– How did the golfing go?
Gillespie: It was good. He’s a good player. He’s good at golf.
– How about you? What did you show?
Gillespie: I’m good at golf. We’re both probably the two golfers on the team. Grayson plays a little bit. But me and Booker play a lot.
– How did the 18 holes play out?
Gillespie: It was pretty even. I think I beat him on the front, and he beat me on the back.
– What were Book’s competitive juices like once you were in the lead?
Gillespie: We were gambling. Then I beat him on the front. Then he wanted to play for more and try to get his money back.
– And he got his money back?
Gillespie: Yeah, it ended up working out.
– Jordan Ott had a lot of assistant coaching experience. But the context of being a first-year head coach after a lot of roster fluidity, what stuff did he do to instill the buy-in?
Gillespie: He was always there in the summertime. He was a guy that was there, committed to that process and wanted to be around and get to know people. He was also there every day. He works extremely hard. He watches a ton of film. He’s the first one in and the last one out. So whenever you were at the facility, he was there. You know he’s putting in a ton of work. When you see coaches like that or even guys like that, you know you can trust them, and you listen to what they have to say.
– What has gone into your consistency from 3?
Gillespie: Putting in a lot of work. At times that we don’t have games and practices or after practice or before practice, I’m just trying to stay consistent in my routine and not really change anything up.
– Individually, how do you rank your game winner [vs the Wolves] to all the other things you’ve accomplished this season?
Gillespie: I don’t really focus on the individual stuff. I’m worried about winning basketball games. It’s really early in the season. I’m just trying to keep this moving in the right direction and trying to get our guys back healthy and try to win as many games as we can. That’s the main focus.
– Tactically, though, what was the key in pulling off that game-winner?
Gillespie: We didn’t quit. We were down by eight [points] with 50 seconds left. We had a couple of big plays. We had a bunch of guys step up and make big plays down the stretch, and then it ended up being me at the end of the game. Goodie [Jordan Goodwin] had two or three massive plays at the end of that game. There were a bunch of guys who contributed to that. I’m not in that position without those guys.
– Individually, what are the rest of your goals this season?
Gillespie: I just want to continue to play good basketball and shoot the ball well and be efficient. I want to prove that I can be a consistent role player in the NBA. That’s really it. Everything that comes with winning and team success, everything else will come individually.
– Team-wise, what are the next steps in building off this strong start to become a playoff contender?
Gillespie: I think it’ll be helpful once we get our guys back. Once we get JG [Jalen Green] back. He’ll be an important piece for us. We’ve had other guys being in and out of the lineup. So it’s about getting healthy and trying to be as consistent as we possibly can with what we do every day with our approach. If we continue to play hard and compete on every possession, I think good things will happen from that.
– You had quite a path with playing on a two-way contract and dealing with a fractured left leg during your rookie season. How did those experiences shape you?
Gillespie: It gave me perspective on the game and life itself. I don’t take anything for granted. I’m appreciative of every day, whether it’s practice, workouts, or especially games. I appreciate being able to play in games and be on the floor and not rehabbing. I think it gives you perspective, and it makes you appreciate all of the little things and all the little details that go into playing basketball.
– Amid the various turning points with those challenges, what did you to do try to overcome them?
Gillespie: I broke my leg. I broke my tibia and fibula. And I dislocated my ankle. So every day was different. I think there was more of a mental aspect of not getting down on myself. There were days when I would feel good. And then there were days when I would feel that I took a couple of steps back. So it was a little bit back and forth.
But I’m big into my faith and trusting in God’s plan. That’s something that I relied on a lot with knowing that everything was going to work out. I just had to keep staying patient and positive in my rehab. Then good things would happen from there.
– On a lighthearted note, what was your reaction when Dillon Brooks gave you the “Villian Jr.” nickname?
Gillespie: It started as a joke. Then people kind of took it and ran with it. But I appreciate how hard Dillon works and what he does. So I don’t take it lightly, and I don’t take it for granted.