Collin Gillespie has been one of the most unexpected breakout players of the NBA season, but that doesn't mean everybody is convinced by his rise to the top of the Phoenix Suns' roster.
Which is incredibly harsh considering he has gone from being a two-way player 12 months ago that nobody was really talking about, to a deserved starter for this group.
Bill Simmons thinks Gillespie shouldn't win Most Improved Player award
The always divisive Bill Simmons took to his podcast on The Ringer recently to talk about some surprise players and teams from this season with Tim Legler, and naturally Gillespie's name came up.
Although Legler has loved what he's seen from the point guard this season, they even go as far back as Gillespie playing against a team Legler coached on the AAU circuit for years, Simmons doesn't think he should be eligible for the Most Improved Player award.
His reasoning? That going from being unheard of and not playing at all to suddenly having a much larger role isn't part of the criteria in his eyes.
This has always been an award that people interpret differently, so it's not like Simmons is alone in his view point. He also claimed that Reed Sheppard also shouldn't be considered, as even though he has shown massive improvement in year two, he was a third overall pick.
But if high lottery picks are going to be penalized, but unknowns such as Gillespie also can't be considered, who can?
Simmons did go on to say Jalen Duren looked an ideal choice, and he's not wrong. He has taken a clear leap forward for the one seed Detroit Pistons.
It is possible Gillespie gets some love from the voters when the time comes, but both Duren and Jalen Johnson are going to finish ahead of him in any race.
Two players who have taken that hard to quantify, but you also know it when you see it "leap" that Simmons seems fixated on.
Credit to Legler however, he couldn't understand why Gillespie should be ruled out at this point, given he has turned a two-way deal into a worrying price increase for the Suns starting next season.
Simmons also failed to highlight the one area of Gillespie's game that see him rise through the ranks in The Valley. His decision making.
Let's also not forget that he is being pushed hard for minutes by both Jordan Goodwin and Jamaree Bouyea, yet there has never been a question that he is the best player of the three.
He's not going to care about this award, and it's not like he was going to win it anyway given the Suns aren't getting much national attention despite exceeding expectations. He just didn't have to be ruled out so early.