There are a number of valid reasons why the Phoenix Suns should consider starting breakout guard Collin Gillespie, and the arrival of trade acquisition Miles Bridges is only adding fuel to that fire. During his time with the Charlotte Hornets, Bridges benefited from what we’ve called the LaMelo Ball effect.
There's some real "LaMelo Ball merchant" with Miles Bridges. Over the last two years, Miles Bridges has a 60.8 TS% with LaMelo on and a 51.1 TS% with LaMelo off. The Suns, obviously, do not have a LaMelo Ball equivalent.
— Sam Quinn (@SamQuinnCBS) June 28, 2026
As CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn noted in June after the trade, Bridges displayed a pretty clear statistical advantage when playing alongside LaMelo, calling him a "LaMelo Ball merchant." He also noted that the Suns do not have a player equivalent to Ball (putting it mildly). Even Gillespie is more of a shoot-first guard thanks to his elite sharpshooting from long range, but his case to be in the starting lineup continues to gain traction as a move Coach Jordan Ott needs to consider.
Miles Bridges needs to play alongside a willing passer
Next to Ball, an excellent passer who also garners plenty of attention from opposing defenses, it became abundantly clear that Bridges is best utilized alongside a skilled passer.
Over the past two seasons, Bridges shot nearly 10 percentage points better from a true shooting standpoint (an advanced scoring metric that weights true point values like 3-pointers accordingly) when LaMelo was on the court with him than when he was not.
Bridges also received 759 passes from Ball a season ago. The next-closest teammate was Kon Knueppel at 399. Going further, 310 of Bridges' made shots were assisted last season, while 169 were not. Bridges thrives in a system with offensive creators around him who can find him for easy dunks or open looks. He's not known to create his own offense in isolation.
Devin Booker and Jalen Green are scorers, not point guards
As things currently stand, the projected starting five in Phoenix will be Devin Booker, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Bridges, and either Oso Ighodaro or second-year talent Khaman Maluach until Mark Williams returns from a torn labrum injury.
Neither Booker nor Green thrives as a floor general.
Booker had a near 50-50 split between the two guard spots last season, according to data from Cleaning the Glass. As a point guard, Booker’s efficiency differential was -0.7 points per 100 possessions. When he played his more natural two-guard position, that number was +9.2 points per 100 possessions. Book is an unselfish player and a willing passer, but the numbers show he's far more comfortable as a shooting guard and impacts the team far more positively in that role.
Green, meanwhile, holds a career 1.4:1 assist-to-turnover ratio, which is far from desirable for anyone getting point guard minutes.
Starting Gillespie shifts Booker to his more natural shooting guard spot, as the former averaged a career-best 4.6 assists to just 1.6 turnovers per game a season ago. Having him in the starting five would also provide Bridges with a more prototypical point guard.
In that scenario, either Green or Brooks would have to move to the bench. It's unclear whether either player would embrace such a role, but on paper, Gillespie as the starting point guard makes sense for a multitude of reasons.
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