Collin Gillespie’s breakout 2025-26 season is on the verge of culminating in a Phoenix Suns franchise record held for more than two decades by Quentin “Q” Richardson.
With six 3s to tie and seven 3s to break the current top mark of 226 triples, Gillespie will etch his name into the Suns record books as a come-out-of-nowhere surprise whose betting odds for the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award probably should be higher than the +25,000 they sit at over at BetMGM.
The Athletic labels Gillespie among the league’s surprise players
The Villanova product is averaging career highs with 13.3 points, 4.7 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game in 28.9 minutes per contest. He’s now started 53 of his 72 games played, taking a stranglehold of the starting point guard spot, first out of injury necessity, and now on merit on a team flush with scoring guards.
His performances have wow’d actor Austin Butler and garnered nationwide attention for his play, as The Athletic’s Fred Katz listed Gillespie among the players who’ve “surprised the most this season.”
As he writes, “Coming into 2025-26, Gillespie had played as many minutes in the G League as he had in the NBA. Now, he’s fourth in the league in 3-point makes.”
With crisp dribble sidesteps, truly elite outside shooting — Gillespie is among the best catch-and-shoot snipers in the sport — and bulldog defense good enough to make “The Villain” proud, he’s made an extremely strong case to get paid this coming offseason when he’ll be an unrestricted free agent.
“If Gillespie notices a sliver of daylight, he’ll hoist a long ball. He’s gone from riding benches to running first units. And the Suns are better off for it,” Katz writes.
Throughout a season that’s been mired by injuries to guards Jalen Green, Devin Booker and Grayson Allen, Gillespie endeared himself to the fan base for his durability and consistently high level of play. He's failed to hit a 3-pointer in only five games this season, and has repeatedly stepped up in clutch situations.
Katz called him “the most surprising player on one of the league’s most surprising squads.”
That surprising level of success doesn’t happen without Gillespie’s contributions. Fortunately for Phoenix, they hold his early Bird rights, which aids the organization’s chances of retaining him this summer.
Whether that means Mark Williams isn’t the focus of the upcoming offseason remains to be seen, but keeping Gillespie around to grow with Dillon Brooks, Booker and Co. has the makings of a solid team forming in the Western Conference.