Welcome to our Phoenix Suns Season in Review series, where we revisit every player who suited up during the 2025–26 campaign through the lens of expectation, reality, and what it ultimately meant.
Player Snapshot
- Position: PG
- Age: 26
- Contract Status: UFA (Suns have his early bird rights)
- SunsRank (Preseason): 8
- SunsRank (Postseason): 4
*SunsRank is based on Bright Side writers’ ranking.
Season in One Sentence
In his first full year with the Suns, Collin Gillespie proved to be worth the investment by breaking a franchise record and growing into a true offensive piece in this rotation.
By the Numbers
How impressive was he, truly? Well, this illustrates it perfectly.
The Expectation
Many fans expected
Gillespie to be a solid playmaker and scorer for this bench unit. I wrote last year that he was a better fit next to Devin Booker than Tyus Jones, and people were looking forward to seeing it. You add that with a good three-point shot, and some hustle on defense, and that is someone the fans can buy into.
The Reality
Well, Gillespie shocked the NBA world, putting fans in a head spin trying to learn who he was. He immediately impressed early in the season when Jalen Green was hurt, gifting Gillespie more playing time. He was able to use his playmaking and ability to initiate the offense to work alongside Booker and Brooks. When he was coming off the bench, though, he was able to work with big man Oso Ighodaro to form a solid pick-and-roll connection as well.
This connection continued as he and Mark Williams also got things going and became a solid pair. Suns fans claim this team needs another true point guard, but Gillespie has been filling that role perfectly well.
On the defensive end, he showed his heart and hustled for more minutes, averaging 1.2 steals per game. This fast-paced offensive style, which focuses heavily on the three-assist plays, plays into his strengths. As the season went on, he did start to see a decline in his shooting, but for a guy who was never tasked with this big a role, it can still be something not to fret about.
Oh yeah, and that three-point shooting, man, was that a big success for Gillepsie and the Suns’ structure this year. Gillepsie proved to be one of the better three-point shooters and on such a steal of a contract as well.
What It Means
There is no doubt that the Suns want to bring Gillespie back to this team and re-sign him. Suns insider John Gambadoro stated that this would be one of their main focuses. Gillepsie, who made just over 2M this year, will be looking for a payday that the Suns can give him.
Since the Suns have early-bird rights on the contract, they can sign him to the max anyone can in free agency. Therefore, it is expected he will come back on a deal that works for both sides. One that will give him a deserving payday, but one that is worth his value in this league.
Gillespie has also stated that at the end of the year, when the media questions him, he wants to be back in Phoenix. This statement should make the fans feel confident that he will be back next year, and that is a good sign.
Defining Moment
Gillespie had many great moments this season, so it’s hard to choose one, but I think this is the best. This is obviously where he etched himself into the sun’s history by breaking a franchise record. This was for the most three pointers made in a season, in which he beat Quentin Richardson.
This was the true test of winning fans over in such a successful season. Even if they were first-round exits, they exceed the exceptions in the standings and with their own players. Gillepsie is a major contributor to that movement, and his offensive versatility was a huge part of that.
He finished the year with 232 threes, which was a huge milestone for the young guard. This was huge and a turning point for the guard. Throughout the year, he was a fantastic three-point scorer, so to see him do this was amazing, especially in his first full year in the Valley.
Grade: A
Overall, for the season, I think that Gillespie deserves an A for his performance. He came out of nowhere to most and has now made him a household name in Phoenix for the future. Everyone is talking about how great iof a season he had and how they need to resign him. Even if he did start to slow down on his three-point shooting later in the year, that does not completely knock his whole season.
The chemistry he built with guys like Dillon Brooks, Oso Ighodaro, Jordan Goodwin, and so many more will help pave the way for this new identity for the Suns. The man who was deemed Villain Jr. this year definitely showed that he cares and puts his all out there.
He never gives up and is relentless on both ends, making for a perfect match for the franchise. The hope is that he is just brought back and he can continue to grow within this Suns regime to help bring a championship here. This season was just a taste of what he can be, and that leaves me satisfied.
