Collin Gillespie didn’t need many words to make his point about the Suns’ skeptics.
When he appeared on the PHNX Sports crew ahead of the upcoming season, Gillespie’s response to the noise around Phoenix was blunt and immediate: “I don't really care.”
That line landed because it fits the moment around the Suns. Phoenix is coming off a 45-37 season after a year when plenty of people expected the team to be stuck under 30 wins and near the bottom of the Western Conference. Instead, the Suns got to the postseason, then ran into Oklahoma City and were swept 4-0 in a series that wasn’t especially close.
Now Gillespie is back on a four-year, $48 million deal, and he’s pushing for Jalen Green’s starting spot. That kind of competition inside the roster is exactly the sort of thing Coach Jordan Ott needs if Phoenix is going to surprise people again.
The attitude around Gillespie has already made an impression. Dillon Brooks called him “Villain Jr.” last summer, and Gillespie has looked like the kind of player who leans into that edge. His four-word answer sounded like something Brooks could have said himself.
Phoenix is also operating in a league landscape that gives the Suns a real opening. The Los Angeles Lakers lost LeBron James, the Golden State Warriors are done in their current form, the LA Clippers can be beaten, and even the Denver Nuggets don’t look as intimidating as they once did. The Minnesota Timberwolves, even after their Jonathan Kuminga signing, are not the runaway favorite to anyone.
That leaves the Suns with a veteran-heavy roster built to win games, and a group of players who seem comfortable being overlooked. Devin Booker is drawing what the piece describes as absurd levels of disrespect, yet the team still has the look of a club that knows its roles and expects to compete every night.
Bridges is among the new additions who will be playing hard in pursuit of an extension, and while a top-four finish may be too much to ask, that is the level Phoenix should be aiming at.
Gillespie clearly thinks so. And if anyone disagrees?
“I don't really care.”
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 🡒]