Once again, without Devin Booker or Jalen Green, the Phoenix Suns always have someone ready to step up to the plate. In the case of Tuesday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers, that was Collin Gillespie.
He dropped a career-high 30 points in what has already been a career season for the Villanova guard. Because of his scoring efforts, the Suns took down the Trail Blazers, 130-125.
While Gillespie had been on the Suns' radar for quite some time, dating back to last season, this has been the breakout year for him under rookie head coach Jordan Ott.
In the first quarter, it was looking like Portland was going to blow out Phoenix, but that’s when Gillespie entered the conversation.
A multitude of off-ball threes and the confidence to attack his defenders left the opposition with no answers. Following the game, he had one word to describe his performance.
“Massive,” Gillespie said via AZCentral’s Duane Rankin on X (formerly Twitter).
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Collin Gillespie has embraced being the Suns' closer
In a season without Green playing majority of the games, it’s thrusted Gillespie into more of an offensive role. Even dating back to Ott’s media day, he mentioned that he would maximize Gillespie’s skill set.
The latter even mentioned it after the Suns win against the Brooklyn Nets via Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. It’s something that has caught outsiders attention, and for good reason.
After all, Gillespie helps bring that dog mentality for the Suns with his gritty yet polished game. A near 43% shooter from deep should, and does have all the confidence to score. He's given the green light on nearly every look.
As long as the trust continues to be there between teammates and coaches, Gillespie will have the green light to keep showing how massive his impact is on the floor.