The postseason is the ultimate test for an NBA player. Some will thrive in the intensified atmosphere, while others will have their biggest flaws exposed. It's been more of the latter for Collin Gillespie.
Steady decline in second half of the season
Unfortunately, these struggles are not confined to the postseason. His breakout season has been on a steady decline over the last few months.
From October to February, he averaged 13.5 points on 59.2% true-shooting and 4.7 assists in 28.7 minutes across 59 games, signifying his NBA breakout.
However, it started going off the rails in the last two months of the season. In March and April, he averaged 10.1 points on 51.3% true-shooting and 4.5 assists in 28 minutes across 21 games. In those five April games, his averages fell to 6.6 points on (a team-worst) 42.2% true-shooting and 2.2 assists in 23.0 minutes.
His postseason struggles
Now, his struggles have continued into the postseason. In the Suns' three postseason games so far, he's averaging 5.0 points on 58.2 true-shooting and 1.3 assists in 20.2 minutes.
And it all comes at a time when the Suns are relying on his sharp-shooting skills the most, as they play without Grayson Allen in their most important games of the season.
His value to the Suns comes as a Curry-esque player that will get a sliver of open space and launch threes from anywhere in the halfcourt, and that hasn't been on display so far this postseason. If he's not doing that, it's hard to justify playing a 6' 1" guard that doesn't provide a certain dynamic skill, especially against the size and athleticism of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The impending offseason decision
His struggles hold significant consequence, as he will enter this offseason as an unrestricted free agent. He's definitely shown enough to prove he can be a spark plug off the bench, but his struggles may have also shown the limits to what he's capable of in the NBA.
As a soon-to-be 27-year-old, it's fair to believe that his growth as a player is set to plateau.
Even with these struggles, the Suns would certainly still love to retain him this offseason. Still, it will all be a bargaining chip for them in free agency, especially considering the upcoming free agency for Mark Williams and Jordan Goodwin, as well.
The Suns probably hope to keep all of them, but in reality, they'll likely need to prioritize some over others, and this postseason may be what ultimately makes that decision for them.
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