The Nuggets had the sharpshooter they could pair with Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray on the roster in 2022-23. But they failed to re-sign Collin Gillespie to his two-way contract, and now, two years later, the Nuggets have got to be kicking themselves for that decision. Gillespie just set the Suns franchise record for made threes in a season.
Gillespie signed with the Suns two years ago on a two-way contract, and this past season, he was converted to a full-time contract. And he's rewarded the Suns with 227 threes this season in 57 starts, helping them to seventh place in the Western Conference standings.
Gillespie would have flourished with the Nuggets this season. They're the league's number one three-point shooting team, shooting 39.5%, and Gillespie is shooting 40.8%. He would have been a great fit this year.
Gillespie's the perfect match for the Nuggets
Gillespie would have been a huge benefactor of the open looks Nikola Jokic would have provided to the 3rd-year guard from Villanova. Gillespie is shooting 42.6% on wide-open threes, which would actually only slot him sixth on the Nuggets, remarkably. Tim Hardaway Jr. leads that stat category with a 50.3% rate, followed by the Joker at 48.8% and Jamal Murray at 47.7%.
But Gillespie could have been a perfect upgrade over Christian Braun, who is the weak link for the Nuggets' three-point shooting brigade. Braun is only knocking down wide-open threes at a 31.7% rate, and hitting them at a 29.9% clip on the season.
Gillespie has been a huge value for the Suns. He's making just under $2.3 million on a one-year minimum deal. He's averaging 13.0 points and 4.8 assists per game in the desert valley of Phoenix, while averaging three made threes.
The Nuggets' three-point shooting has been insanely good
Denver's been shooting the three-ball better than anybody else this season, and in terms of percentage, they have four players in the top-20 in the NBA. Jamal Murray ranks sixth at 43.5%, and Cam Johnson is right behind in ninth at 42.7%. Peyton Watson is 14th at 41.1%, and THJ is 18th at 41%.
Murray just had a game with 10-made threes, his second of the year, and the Nuggets have three such games this season. Aaron Gordon opened the season for the Nuggets with 10 against the Warriors, part of his 50-point explosion on opening night.
The Nuggets only rank 11th in total made threes with 1084, but they still lead the league in scoring at 121.4 points per game. Gillespie could have made that even better, but those are the breaks in the NBA. Good for him for snagging a record with the Suns.