Collin Gillespie has been without a doubt one of the biggest surprises in the entire NBA so far this season. The Phoenix Suns do an excellent job of identifying his talent.
They figured this out as far back as last season, when he exceeded his two-way contract every time he was given the opportunity to do so.
It was just unfortunate that the version of the Suns he was trying to break into featured Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, and was not a happy bunch.
Gillespie has turned the page on his days with the Denver Nuggets
Hard as it may be to believe, it was actually the Denver Nuggets who gave the point guard his first chance in the league. They look incredibly foolish for letting him go, although at the time you could understand the logic.
They have one of the best big men ever in Nikola Jokic, who acts as their floor general each night anyway. They didn’t have the time as they chased titles to see what, if anything, Gillespie could turn into.
Wrapping up 2025 with 10 of our Top Suns Moments ☄️
Nov. 21: With a 1.1% to win the game in the final minute, Collin Gillespie sinks the floater to cap off the improbable comeback! pic.twitter.com/ZWEEg0RXEb
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) December 23, 2025
But if you look at Denver this season, Gillespie is everything they need off the bench. When Jokic sits, they now have another bruiser in Jonas Valanciunas who is ensuring the Nuggets aren’t getting hammered in the minutes Jokic doesn’t play anymore.
But if they have a real playmaker in Gillespie to pair alongside him and Jamal Murray, the Nuggets would be in an even better position. Instead they gave him less than 10 minutes a night in only 24 games back in 2023-24 to show what he could do.
Contrast that with the Suns, where we’ve already given him a pretty high accolade. He’s started nine games this season, and has been so effective that he has almost made the team forget that Jalen Green has barely featured.
He’s on a minimum deal and simply has to be brought back next offseason, even if that could prove difficult, such is his importance to everything head coach Jordan Ott is trying to achieve.
His shot selection is generally great while he has proven he is not afraid of the moment if he’s entrusted to take the last shot with the game on the line.
This is such a stark contrast to the little fanfare he received once the Nuggets let him go, and even going back to the two-way deal he signed with Phoenix. Few cared then, and Gillespie has proved them all wrong.
This move will go down as one of the best of the decade for the Suns, because Gillespie is a long-term solution to a point guard issue that has plagued this organization. Take that Denver.