Collin Gillespie’s postseason struggles shed new light on breakout season
The postseason is the last word check for an NBA participant. Some will thrive within the intensified ambiance, whereas others could have their largest flaws uncovered. It’s been extra of the latter for Collin Gillespie.
Steady decline in second half of the season
Unfortunately, these struggles are usually not confined to the postseason. His breakout season has been on a gradual decline over the previous few months.
From October to February, he averaged 13.5 factors on 59.2% true-shooting and 4.7 assists in 28.7 minutes throughout 59 video games, meaning his NBA breakout.
However, it began going off the rails within the final two months of the season. In March and April, he averaged 10.1 factors on 51.3% true-shooting and 4.5 assists in 28 minutes throughout 21 video games. In these 5 April video games, his averages fell to six.6 factors on (a team-worst) 42.2% true-shooting and a couple of.2 assists in 23.0 minutes.
His postseason struggles
Now, his struggles have continued into the postseason. In the Suns’ three postseason video games up to now, he is averaging 5.0 factors on 58.2 true-shooting and 1.3 assists in 20.2 minutes.
And all of it comes at a time when the Suns are relying on their sharp-shooting expertise probably the most, as they play with out Grayson Allen of their most vital video games of the season.
His worth to the Suns comes as a Curry-esque participant that may get a sliver of open area and launch threes from wherever within the halfcourt, and that hasn’t been on show up to now this postseason. If he is not doing that, it is arduous to justify taking part in a 6′ 1″ guard that doesn’t provide a certain dynamic skill, especially against the size and athleticism of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The impending offseason decision
His struggles hold significant consequence, as he will enter this offseason as an unrestricted free agent. He’s definitely shown enough to prove he can be a spark plug off the bench, but his struggles may have also shown the limits to what he’s capable of in the NBA.
As a soon-to-be 27-year-old, it’s fair to believe that his growth as a player is set to plateau.
Even with these struggles, the Suns would certainly still love to retain him this offseason. Still, it will all be a bargaining chip for them in free agency, especially considering the upcoming free agency for Mark Williams and Jordan Goodwin, as well.
The Suns probably hope to keep all of them, but in reality, they’ll likely need to prioritize someone over others, and this postseason may be what ultimately makes that decision for them.
