In a recent episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, sports pundit Bill Simmons and NBA writer Rob Mahoney answered fan mailbag questions, starting with discussing a hypothetical NBA “breakthrough award.”
The discussion differentiated from the league’s Most Improved Player award, which has been around since the 1985-86 season. Three Phoenix Suns players have won that honor: Goran Dragic in 2013-14, Boris Diaw in 2005-06 and Kevin Johnson in 1988-89.
The fan pitching the “breakthrough award” stipulates it should go to a player who averaged fewer than 15 minutes per game in the previous season to be considered. Simmons rebranded it as “basically, the ‘where the (expletive) did you come from?’ guy.”
Which NBA players would be considered for a 'breakthrough award'?
No surprise, Boston Celtics fan Simmons started his list of 2025-26 breakthrough players with Celtics big man Neemias Queta. Queta, a native of Portugal who was a second-round pick in the 2021 NBA draft, is — credit to Simmons — a great breakthrough candidate.
After averaging just 13.9 minutes per game a season ago, Queta is now the team’s starting center. He’s started all 30 games of his games for Boston this year while averaging 10 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 blocks per game. Those marks are all career bests with the extended playing time.
Simmons goes on to list NBA sophomores Reed Sheppard, Cam Spencer and Ajay Mitchell as his other candidates, although Mitchell doesn’t qualify if we’re going by the “under 15 minutes per game the previous season” stipulation.
All three of those guys have no doubt experienced breakthroughs in their second season as pros, but any Suns fans listening at this point was probably wondering why Simmons omitted Phoenix’s breakout star Collin Gillespie.
Unlike Mitchell, Gillespie actually qualifies on the fewer than 15 minutes per game played the previous season qualifier (he notched exactly 14 minutes per game a season ago). That’s jumped up to 28.2 minutes per game this season, and, after primarily contributing in a bench role, injuries and his solid play have since forced Gillespie into the starting lineup (he’s started 14 of his 33 games entering the new year).
Gillespie is averaging 14 points, 5.1 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game this season after notching averages of 5.9 points, 2.4 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 0.6 steals a season ago.
Seems like a pretty slam dunk “breakthrough award” candidate, no?
Mercifully, Mahoney stepped in to help Simmons and acknowledge that Gillespie in his third season as a pro belongs in the conversation.
“Can I raise you Collin Gillespie in that mix?” Mahoney asks Simmons.
“Collin Gillespie could absolutely be raised in that mix, and I apologize to Collin for leaving him out. I’m sorry,” Simmons said in return.
When you're getting "who is that guy?" reactions from famous actors on the sidelines of games, you know you're in the midst of a breakout campaign.
A Suns player being overlooked is nothing new from the vantage point of Suns fans, but it’s certainly nice that Mahoney stepped up to give Gillespie his flowers for what is unequivocally a breakthrough season for the young guard.
Now, the Suns’ front office has to figure out a way to keep the impending free agent beyond the 2025-26 season.