PHOENIX - The Phoenix Suns are heading into another regular season with plenty of skepticism outside the building, even after putting together what many around the league hope will be an improved roster.
That’s the backdrop for a team entering year one under head coach Jordan Ott without Kevin Durant or Bradley Beal alongside Devin Booker. Phoenix has enough continuity and enough new pieces to make people think the ceiling could rise in 2026-27, but the broader basketball world still isn’t buying in.
Collin Gillespie, though, isn’t spending any time worrying about that.
“I don't look at any of that stuff,” he said on PHNX Suns. “I don't know what the power rankings [say] or where we're rated I guess, I don't really know.
I haven't looked at any of it but I don't really care. Obviously at the end of the day everybody has to tie their shoes, go out and play and see who's better.”
Gillespie doubled down on that point later in the conversation.
“I don't really care.” 🗣️Collin Gillespie isn't worried about the Suns being slept on AGAIN this season 🫡 pic.twitter.com/JbX7ibCWXm
As a bench piece, Gillespie gives Phoenix another option with upside as it tries to push into the top six in the West and stay out of the play-in tournament.
He also made clear he sees the season as a marathon, not something to judge in the first week or two.
“It’s a long season. I think last year we might have started 1-4 and it was like, 'Oh s--.
Here we go.' But you find your identity throughout a season and you start to gel,” Gillespie continued.
“Obviously newer guys, newer teammates, injuries, guys in and out [of the lineup] you kind of find your way throughout the season. I think I always go into just like become the best team you can by the end of the year and see where you're at at the end of the year and then go from there.
“I think every year you go into it, you have high expectations. You want to play well and want the team to be good.”
The path won’t be easy in the West. Even with LeBron James gone from the Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix still has to deal with teams like the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder, while the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves are also among the clubs hungry for a deep playoff run.
Still, with the same core returning and additions like Koa Peat and Miles Bridges in the mix, the Suns may have enough to prove the doubters wrong again. For now, though, Gillespie’s message is simple: the noise doesn’t matter.
In Other News...
Former Suns Finals Sparkplug May Be Drifting Out Of Phoenix Plans
With training camps getting closer, Cameron Payne still sits unsigned, and the former Suns sparkplug is looking at an uncertain NBA market after last playing for the Philadelphia 76ers. Phoenixs current backcourt picture makes a reunion increasingly unlikely, especially with the team choosing to evaluate younger guards and see who can carve out a larger role before the season begins.
Collin Gillespie, Jordan Goodwin and Jamaree Bouyea are all in the mix for those minutes, giving the Suns a different kind of guard competition than the one Payne would step into. For a player who once provided energy and playoff-shotmaking for Phoenix, the door does not appear completely shut around the league, but the path back to the Suns is getting harder to see. [Read more 🡒]
Luke Kennard Could Force A Real Suns Lineup Decision
Luke Kennards arrival gives the Suns something they have been short on around the edges of the roster: another shooter who can also keep the ball moving. If his passing gains carry over, he could become more than a specialist, because Phoenix has been looking for cleaner spacing and a little more playmaking to support the scoring around Jalen Green, Miles Bridges and Dillon Brooks.
The tricky part is that Kennards value may not be limited to spot minutes. His defensive limitations are still part of the equation, but the offensive fit is good enough to make the Suns think harder about how they want their best five arranged. At some point, that kind of balance can turn a bench addition into a lineup decision, and Phoenix may have to decide how much creation it wants on the floor without giving up too much defense. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Rotation Squeeze Puts Three Players In A Tough Spot
The Suns rotation picture is getting tighter, and the pressure is starting to show on a few familiar names. With new roster additions and more competition around the lineup, Ryan Dunn, Jamaree Bouyea and Jalen Green are all in line to see less floor time than they did before, which is never a comfortable place for players trying to carve out a steady role.
For Dunn, the squeeze goes beyond simply losing minutes, because his place in the long-term plan suddenly looks less secure as the season unfolds. Bouyea is expected to have a smaller part to play than he did a year ago, and Green, whose usage is already headed in the wrong direction, could wind up sliding even further down the pecking order if the minutes keep shrinking. [Read more 🡒]