In the 2022 offseason, the Denver Nuggets signed Collin Gillespie to a two-way contract after he went undrafted. A few weeks later, he underwent surgery after he fractured his leg during a pickup game at Villanova, where he went to college. Fast forward three years, and Gillespie is thriving, but not with the Nuggets.
He appeared in 24 games for Denver in the 2023-24 season after he returned from his leg injury, averaging 3.6 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game in 9.4 minutes. That summer, Gillespie signed a two-way deal with the Suns after putting up big numbers for Denver's G League affiliate.
Gillespie was a restricted free agent this past summer, and the Suns signed him to a one-year, minimum deal after what was an encouraging first season in the desert.
So far, that move looks like an absolute steal for Phoenix. Gillespie is averaging a career-high 10.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.1 steals per game, with 39/38/67 shooting splits. He's averaging 24.9 minutes per game.
You know who could use a player like Gillespie? Denver.
Collin Gillespie is off to a great start this season with the Suns
The 26-year-old has scored in double digits in six of the 10 games he's played in for Phoenix. In his worst shooting performance of the season thus far, a 0-of-5 shooting night against the Clippers on Nov. 6, Gillespie still impacted the game in other ways, finishing with seven assists, five rebounds, and one steal in the Suns' 115-102 win.
In Phoenix's Nov. 8 win over the Clippers, Gillespie hit four three-pointers in the first half when the Suns needed him most, as Jalen Green left the game in the first quarter with a hamstring injury. Jordan Ott, Phoenix's first-year head coach, said he wants Gillespie to be more aggressive with his shot, and it paid off. He finished with 13 points.
It's hard not to think about what it'd be like to have Gillespie on the Nuggets' bench right now as a backup point guard. It's easy to look back and say what a team should've done, though. However, they should still have been able to recognize his talent, which was very much there. Phoenix did, and now Gillespie has become a reliable rotation player who's only getting better.
You win some, and you lose some. As for Collin Gillespie, the Nuggets lost that one.