The Denver Nuggets will do everything in their power to strengthen their squad in hopes of another go at the Larry O'Brien trophy. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray did not get much out of the front office in the offseason. They even lost more than they gained because of Bruce Brown's departure from the team. This means that they lose crucial secondary playmaking that they are going to need to sustain their offense. Although, Collin Gillespie may have proven that he can be that guy in his recent NBA Summer League stint.

Collin Gillespie came out of Villanova basketball with high hopes for his name to get called by Adam Silver during the NBA Draft. He was let down and went undrafted instead. The 6-foot-3 guard continued to pursue his passion for getting into the league and signed the Grand Rapids Gold, the Nuggets' NBA G-League affiliate. His contract also had a two-way clause which allows him to get activated once the 2023 NBA Champions need him.

There are still many concerns about his style of play that hinder him from fully entering Michael Malone's squad. A lot of it comes from his shotmaking and decision to take shots. His inability to make quick decisions on the fly while facilitating an offense. A lot of these were to be determined by his second shot at a roster spot through the 2023 NBA Summer League.

Collin Gillespie's NBA Summer League

Gillespie was known as a scoring guard in his last season with Villanova. A lot of his focus was placed on finding good looks for himself. This came first over searching for spots where his teammates can thrive. Offense was the part of the game where he thrived and his defense became lackluster over time. However, he started turning things around once he entered the NBA. His first stint with the Nuggets in Las Vegas was in 2022-23. He had a great show of athleticism by keeping the defender right in front of him and not letting them get blow-bys. Collin became more concerned about defense than he ever was in his career. This helped him net 1.5 steals in last year's tournament.

He got even better in the 2023-24 NBA Summer League. Collin Gillespie took marginally fewer shots and hounded guards on defense. Disrupting passing lanes and covering up drives allowed him to be a great on-ball defender. His indecision seem to have been cured as he learned how to switch or fight through screens whenever the play needed it. This gave him better steal averages of 2.4 per game in five outings. It is safe to say that his defense has improved substantially.

His roadblocks to a Nuggets roster spot

No longer getting hounded on defense is a great thing but his consistency on offense took a backslide. His scoring numbers and efficiency were insanely low. He only notched 7.8 points per game on 30.2% field goal shooting. The three-point shot was also a problem for him. Collin Gillespie had only knocked down 28% of his shots from beyond the arc despite attempting five shots per game.

All of these were a considerable drop from his college and even G-League scoring performances. His assist numbers were higher as compared to last year. Although, they were barely noticeable. The Nuggets player had 4.6 assists per game which were more than his 4.25 dimes from the previous year.

It is a good thing that he is no longer getting hounded on defense but his offense took a big hit. Will he be able to fill Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray's need for a secondary playmaker?