The Phoenix Suns don’t have a first-round pick in the 2026 NBA draft, but they do hold the No. 47 overall pick in Round 2.
Most mock drafts circulating ahead of Tuesday’s selections have the Suns addressing their lack of point guard depth in that spot. University of Arizona product Jaden Bradley is a recurring name being sent just north of Tucson to Phoenix, while ESPN had Michigan State product Jeremy Fears Jr. heading to The Valley. The latter speculation makes sense, given Suns owner Mat Ishbia’s ties and loyalty to his Spartans.
But another prospect with a familiar name joined the list of players being mocked to the Suns.
Yahoo! Sports NBA mock draft has Suns adding another Gillespie to their ranks
In an NBA mock draft from Kevin O’Connor, Yahoo! Sports projects Tennessee point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie to be the choice for Phoenix, in part because they have Bradley going two slots earlier to the Sacramento Kings.
Gillespie, no relation to current Suns free agent Collin Gillespie, averaged 18.4 points, 5.4 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game as a senior for the Volunteers. He shot just 33.8% from 3-point territory on a career-high 8.2 attempts per game from deep, but was much better the season prior with Maryland when he converted a stellar 40.7% of his triples.
As O’Connor wrote, “Gillespie spent two seasons at Belmont, transferred to Maryland for a year, then came home to Tennessee as a senior and helped lead the Volunteers to the Elite Eight. In the NBA, he projects as less of a lead guard and more of a spark plug who comes off the bench and fires jumpers and reliably runs the offense.”
The Suns certainly had success with one Gillespie being a spark plug off the bench throughout 2025-26. Collin Gillespie had a breakout year for the Suns and was knocking on the door of the Sixth Man of the Year conversation before being elevated to the starting rotation due to injuries to Jalen Green and Grayson Allen.
At just 6-foot tall, Tennessee’s Gillespie is undersized for today’s NBA, but O’Connor suggests that may not be much of an issue due to his shooting prowess.
“The NBA's track record with guards his size is the obvious concern, but anyone who shoots like Gillespie and processes the game at his level deserves a real chance,” he wrote.
Gillespie touted his ability to bring energy and “be a pest defensively” in addition to scoring while speaking with the media after a pre-draft workout with the Golden State Warriors.
On that basis, he certainly fits the Suns’ newfound culture of guys playing hard and buying in on the defensive end of the court where Phoenix was much improved compared to the year prior.
If the Suns opt to re-sign Collin Gillespie in free agency, perhaps they’ll have double the amount of Gillespies in their backcourt for next season.
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