Phoenix Suns guard Collin Gillespie has earned lots of respect for his impressive beginning to the season, but he won’t let hubris get in the way when it comes to Jalen Green’s coming return post-Christmas.
“He’s done so much in the league to deserve a starting spot. I’ve seen all the stuff,” Gillespie told Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta on Friday. “I’d love to come off the bench, if I need to start, I’ll start but to me it doesn’t matter. I want to win.
“JG has earned the right to start for this team. … He’s one of our leaders, one of our best players. We can’t wait to get him back.”
From a two-way player who was dished out some minutes at the backend of last season to a fill-in starting point guard with some serious feel in the clutch, Gillespie’s rapid ascent hasn’t blinded him to the tangibles that Green will bring.
“He’ll help us drastically on the floor … offensively, defensively, put pressure on the rim. He’ll be able to guard guys, pressure people and he’s an elite scorer and playmaker,” Gillespie added.
The 26-year-old out of Villanova, due to his 42.6% clip from 3 and Phoenix being without Green or Devin Booker of late, is beginning to see extra defensive attention. Look no further than a 1-for-5 performance on Wednesday against the NBA-best Oklahoma City Thunder.
Booker is expected to return from a right groin strain on Sunday versus the Los Angeles Lakers or Thursday against the Golden State Warriors. Green (right hamstring strain) just entered the four-week portion of his four-to-six-week return table on Tuesday.
While teams may not overlook Gillespie any longer, attention will once again head to the back court originally planned during the past offseason.
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That won’t change how Gillespie operates and the mentality that he’s carried his whole basketball career.
He used the well-known quote, “comparison is the thief of joy,” when describing his journey of shooting for a roster spot at the University of Delaware while growing up in Philadelphia only to make enough of an impression on Jay Wright to earn his way to Villanova. Despite being named the Big East Player of the Year in 2021 and 2022, Gillespie went undrafted in 2022 before finding a first professional home on the Denver Nuggets’ G League team, Grand Rapids Gold.
“My journey is my journey, I wouldn’t trade it for anything else,” Gillespie said. “There’s a certain aspect to people not believing in you and having a chip on your shoulder, and I think that’s just how I grew up, how I’ve always played. I’ll never lose that.
“I remember where I started.”
Dillon Brooks, another key player so far for Phoenix, anointed Gillespie his “Villain Jr.” late in the offseason and now Gillespie and his counterpart Jordan Goodwin have been dubbed “the Killer G’s” for their combined shows of tenacity. Gillespie said the nature of the whole team is “ultra-competitiveness” and that’s why they “gel so well together.”
Entering Sunday against L.A., Gillespie is averaging 13.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists in his 27 minutes per game. He has also registered at least four assists in 17 of 25 games, with six of those being starts.
He has good vibes to say the least when it comes to the Lakers, as Gillespie put up career-bests in points (28) and 3s (eight) in a 125-108 win at Crypto.com Arena back on Dec. 1.
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