PHOENIX– Collin Gillespie is all about earning respect. It's a mantra the Phoenix Suns sharpshooter has lived by as he's risen through the scouting report for the other 29 teams in the league.
From being mostly a dead-eye shooter from beyond the arc early in his career to being a complete offensive player, the growth is impressive.
After Gillespie broke the Suns' single-season 3-point record vs the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday, some were surprised, but others knew this was a matter of time.
Former teammates like Kevin Durant spoke highly of him, having an opportunity to showcase what he can do. Even former head coach Mike Budenholzer made him a starter in nine games last season– one of which he led them to a crunch-time win against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Once the current Phoenix head coach, Jordan Ott, took over, he saw everything he needed to see. The vision was clear, and so was the improvement.
But an opportunity was all it took.
“I'm extremely grateful to my teammates, the coaching staff put me in great opportunities, but I would've liked to get a win. That was the main thing,” Gillespie said via AZCentral's Duane Rankin after Phoenix's 127-107 to the Hornets.
Collin Gillespie gets a true opportunity with the Suns
While a majority started from last season, the 2025-26 season was a true testament to staying ready. Countless hours in the gym, film room, and connecting with his teammates showed that he was ready for the big leap.
During the preseason, starting shooting guard Jalen Green suffered a hamstring injury that would sideline him through nearly the entire first-half of the season.
The injury was unfortunate, as the original plan was to have him act as the sixth man, but that immediately changed. This was a ticket that Gillespie used to cement his spot as a starter.
Conversations blew up about the former Villanova guard having a career season, but no one was surprised. Even Green mentioned that same feeling nearly two weeks before he broke the 3-point record.
“I’m a big CG fan,” Green said postgame after the Suns' win vs the Toronto Raptors on March 22. “It started off in training camp… I knew he had it, but I didn’t know he had it like how he was showing in training camp and throughout the season. But yeah, he’s a dog. I’m not surprised by any of it. I’ve already seen it.”
Training camp? It's where Gillespie called game twice, as mentioned by Devin Booker earlier in the season. From that moment, everyone on the team knew what they were getting, but the rest of the league took longer to notice.
“He’s just been playing super confident. Confidence starts with the work that he’s put in… he’s a definition of coming in here, and getting your work in every day, and sticking with it,” Booker said during the team's shootaround on March 28.
Collin Gillespie is forever etched in Suns history
Phoenix has had a history of guys slipping under the radar and becoming elite players. Two of the biggest examples in the franchise could be Booker and Steve Nash, the latter of whom won two consecutive MVP awards.
Both players are part of Suns history for the right reasons, and now Gillespie can insert himself into that potential conversation. He's 26 years old and only in his third season.
Granted, he battled a gruesome knee injury that kept him sidelined for a full season. Although Ott said following Thursday's game that his point guard is ‘a hell of a story,' he mentioned something one week prior that put that remark into the light.
“He just got a great opportunity. He’s not only kicked down the door, but he also burst through it, and he just continues to raise his own level,” Ott explained before Phoenix's game against the Denver Nuggets on March 24.
Even since Green and Dillon Brooks have returned to the starting lineup, he hasn't wavered. He's been the de facto point guard running the offense alongside Booker.
With the play-in tournament around the corner, more is expected, and judging from how this season has played out, Gillespie could raise his game to yet another level.
