Suns desperately need Collin Gillespie to prove he isn't a flash in the pan

The Phoenix Suns might have brought together an entirely new roster for this season - and although it can take time for a group to come together and figure out their roles - Collin Gillespie has known where he fits in The Valley since day one. The former two-way player the backup point guard to Devin Booker, by far the biggest challenge of his career to date.

That he has been one of the few bright spots for the franchise in the early goings is a great return on a player who could have faltered, and the Suns have needed his energy off the bench each night. A 1-3 start is not where they want to be - and defensively it has been horrible - but you can't place much blame on Gillespie for that.

Suns need Gillespie to prove he can remain consistent.

With so many games still left to play, the Suns need to make sure that Gillespie can continue to build on this encouraging start. Although he is unlikely to ever replace Booker as the main floor general in Phoenix, having a backup each night having struggled in that department for years prior is a massive plus.

To Gillespie's credit, he has outperformed even the highest of expectations through the first number of games too. Right now he ranks fifth in field goal attempts at 9.5 - a real indication that head coach Jordan Ott trusts him offensively - while his 5.8 assists are second only to Booker (6.8) on this roster.

He's playing 24.3 minutes each night, fifth highest on the team and more than bigger names such as Mark Williams (22.7). Perhaps best of all, the 35.7 percent he's shooting from deep on a career high seven attempts each night has opened the floor up and kept defenders honest as Gillespie does some of his best work driving to the rim.

You need only look at his shot chart to see it is filled with 3-pointers and attempts in the paint, the kind of picture that analytics people love to see. The Suns have been incredibly poor defensively - giving up 123.7 points each night - yet when Gillespie is out there it shrinks to a much more normal looking 114.2 points.

The numbers back up what we've seen so far - which is the most complete and impactful start to a season Gillespie has ever had - while the eye test backs that up. You don't feel like the team is going to fall off a cliff when Gillespie is out there, and if it does, it is rarely his fault either. Yes he can get picked on by opponents and he doesn't do any one thing offensively to an elite level.

But he's a steady hand at a time of change in Phoenix, and that will be the key to him sticking long-term. If all of these numbers hold for much of the season, then Gillespie will have proven he is not only capable of being in the league, but that an even bigger role could be on the cards down the line. He's off to a great start, but any slip-up and the Suns will be in even more trouble.