The Phoenix Suns have not looked like the fun and vibrant team that they were last season to begin this campaign, and changing up their backcourt to give Devin Booker an actual point guard to play with has been touted as one way to solve their woes. Collin Gillespie fits the bill and is worth trying out, but he alone cannot fix the problems that have sprouted up quickly in Phoenix.
Gillespie a willing but undersized defender who can be picked on
The 27-year-old was fully deserving of the four-year, $48 million contract he signed to come back to the Suns over the summer, and in certain scenarios, he can work both as a starter and in crunch time for this team. Offensively, his game shares a lot of similarities with Grayson Allen, the role player they have clearly missed the most through their 1-2 start.
On the other end of the court, it is harder for Gillespie to make his mark, although he is a pest who, at 2.7 steals so far, sits in the 74th percentile, per Cleaning the Glass. Last season, the advanced numbers skewed in Gillespie's favor as well. The Suns finished ninth in defensive rating, allowing 112.9 points per game, which shrank to 110.0 when he was on the court.
But this roster is not the same as last season's, with Miles Bridges cramping their flow as the starting power forward and Oso Ighodaro and Mark Williams both missing due to injury. Gillespie is at his best when he can be hidden on third or fourth scoring options who do not have a massive size advantage over him.
During the regular season last time out, he averaged 28.5 minutes a game, and that number held through their playoff series sweep at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder. A reality check in which the Suns had no other option but to use Gillespie just as much as they had during the regular season because of his clear offensive value, but the Thunder mercilessly picked on him with their massive lineups.
With Bridges not living up to his "matchup nightmares" promise made at media day, and with Khaman Maluach out of his depth as a starter, putting Gillespie in Jalen Green's spot won't suddenly lead to the Suns looking like the group that caught so many by surprise last season.
Gillespie must be given chance to impress when Ighodaro returns
Already, Gillespie is managing just over four fewer minutes of court time compared to last season, and he does deserve the opportunity to start with Booker to see what that brings. But Head Coach Jordan Ott must only make that brave call once Ighodaro is healthy, as that duo in tandem looks like their best bet for bringing defensive stability to the starting group.
Green coming off the bench looks like the best use of his scoring talents, while Maluach being brought along more slowly, with generous helpings of Duop Reath and Drew Timme, also makes sense. Collin Gillespie can help the Suns get back to winning ways, but he alone is not the answer to the mounting problems in Phoenix.
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