Phoenix Suns have found a diamond in the rough with Collin Gillespie

Phoenix Suns backup guard Collin Gillespie has been arguably the biggest bright spot for first year head coach Jordan Ott this season.

In the midst of a breakout NBA campaign, the Villanova product is averaging 10.5 points, 5.1 assists, 4.1 rebounds and a steal per game through 15 games played. Those are all career highs for Gillespie, who’s earned a career high in minutes this season as well under Ott.

His breakout continued Tuesday night, Nov. 18, in a comfortable 127-110 road win against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Gillespie, in his usual role off the bench, scored a season-high 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting (4-of-9 from beyond the arc), to go along with six assists, three rebounds and a steal in 28 minutes of action.

With the performance, Gillespie became just the third player in NBA history to log at least 150 points, 75 assists and 50 rebounds in his first 15 games of the season off the bench. Only future Hall of Famer Russell Westbrook and LaMelo Ball have done that previously.

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Even before that performance against Portland, Gillespie was garnering national attention. The Ringer’s Zach Lowe praised the Suns guard on The Zach Lowe Show podcast posted Nov. 17.

“Who’s handling the ball for these guys when Booker’s off the floor?” Lowe mused after discussing Jalen Green’s prolonged absence due to a hamstring injury. “Well, Collin Gillespie’s like ‘Oh, you didn’t know about me?’”

Lowe went on to commend the wide-ranging impact Gillespie has made in a bench role that’s gone well beyond what anyone expected from him to begin the season — Gillespie’s third as a pro.

“That guy’s not just making open 3s,” Lowe said. “He’s not just doing the classic backup point guard extra pass, hard defense. He’s making pull-up mid-rangers in crunch time. He and Booker together have been great.”

What’s also been so impressive about Gillespie is his game-to-game consistency. As he plays through a breakout 2025-26 campaign, the Suns guard has scored double-digit points in nine of his 15 games played. He’s likewise dolled out at least five assists in nine of his 15 games. He’s made at least three 3-pointers in seven of his 15 appearances as well, all while being a factor on the glass and limiting his turnovers.

Of course, while Gillespie’s individual contributions are certainly noteworthy, the impact he’s able to have on teammates around him can’t go overlooked.

According to data from NBA.com, Phoenix boasts a positive net rating from seven out of nine five-man lineups featuring Gillespie that have logged at least 10 minutes on the court together so far this season.

Ironically, the two five-man rotations including Gillespie with a negative net rating also feature Devin Booker. It’s a small sample size we’re working with since it’s still so early in the season, but the quintet featuring Gillespie that’s logged the most minutes together (25) is: Gillespie, Booker, Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale and Mark Williams. That lineup has a net rating of +17.5.

What may ultimately set Gillespie apart is the lineups without Booker where the 26-year-old Pennsylvania native is holding down the proverbial fort.

In 13 minutes playing together with O’Neale, Ryan Dunn, Jordan Goodwin and Oso Ighodaro, as an example, that lineup has a +33.4 net rating with Gillespie as floor general.

Suns commentator Eddie Johnson called attention to it on the broadcast against Portland, but the defensive activity Gillespie provides in a group setting continues to be noteworthy.

The active hands and double-team traps from that unit including Gillespie, Goodwin, Dunn and O’Neale on the perimeter and in the passing lanes helped create 19 steals against the Trail Blazers. That was the most steals by an NBA team this season and the most steals in a game for the Suns franchise since Feb. 21, 2002.

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Gillespie is making a huge impact on both sides of the ball. His hustle and effort is paying big dividends for the Suns early on.

Provided Gillespie was initially signed to a two-way contract after the Denver Nuggets opted not to keep him around, Phoenix deserves plenty of credit for finding a diamond in the rough.