Phoenix Suns guard Collin Gillespie wasn’t too happy after Day 3 of Phoenix Suns training camp Oct. 1 at the team’s practice facility.
“It’s competitive, guys are playing really hard,” he said. “First unit has looked great. Today kind of sucked. They beat us. The third team has looked really good, too, playing hard competing. It's been good.”
Gillespie said Luke Kennard, Ryan Dunn, Koby Brea, Khaman Maluach and himself were part of the second unit. Phoenix exercised their third-year option on Maluach and fourth-year option on Dunn, the team announced Oct. 1.
“Today, it was me, Luke, Ryan for a little bit. Koby Brea was on our team, opponent team, and Khaman. So that's just a mix and match. I don't think it's anything that’s going to stick. Goodie
(Jordan Goodwin) was with us (Tuesday). It just depends on the day. Just trying different stuff.”
The Suns were looking to have a fuller scrimmage Oct. 2, as they continue training camp leading up to their preseason opener on the road Oct. 5, against the Detroit Pistons.
Kennard and Gillespie were expected to be part of the second unit.
Dunn has started his first two seasons in rotations while Brea is a two-way player who can shoot it, but he spent most of his rookie year in the G League with the Valley Suns.
Then there’s Maluach.
With Mark Williams out with a left shoulder injury (torn labrum) that’ll sideline him for several months, Maluach is in competition with Oso Ighodaro for the starting big position.
Suns coach Jordan Ott said they’ll look to decide on a starter before the Oct. 21 season opener at the Portland Trail Blazers.
“We want to at least have a little bit rolling in,” Ott said. “It’s not a secret, but we do have to see how it plays out. We want to let the preseason play out, but a couple of days going into it, we’ll know. We’ll get a good feel.”
Ott later added, “We’ve got two soldiers that are going to come in, compete, do what’s best for the team. Who starts, who finishes, it’s going to change. Every night is a little bit different. Matchups different, but once you get a starting center, you want to keep him for as long as you can until you have to make a change.”
Gillespie and Ighodaro shared a ton of minutes last season.
Looking at two-man lineups, Gillespie and Ighodaro played 1,232 total minutes together over the course of 80 games last season.
“Oso is more mobile around the perimeter,” Gillespie said. “So, it’s easier and we’ve played with each other for a while. We have that two-man chemistry or whatever you want to call it. We know what to expect.”
Only Devin Booker and Royce O’Neale (1,353 minutes in 61 games) and O’Neale and Gillespie (1,308 minutes in 77 games) played more minutes together.
In stark contrast, Gillespie and Maluach saw action in just 19 games together for a total of 89 minutes.
The two are trying to develop two-man chemistry in camp.
“Just now, me and Khaman are working on that,” Gillespie said. “He’s working on that with other guys as well. When to stick screens, when to get out early and be able to put pressure on the rim because he’s definitely a lob threat at a high level. Try to find him in the pocket, get more rim attempts for him and he’s done a really good job of making sure that if they’re at the level, eyes to eyes and trying to make the right play. He’s an elite rim finisher. When you put it around the rim, he’ll go get it.”
Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Suns coach provides a timeline in determining starting center
