Did Suns Find Boost for Playoff Push?

New life was potentially found for the 2024-25 Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night.

The Suns put forth a 43-22 fourth quarter to defeat the Los Angeles Clippers - completing the season sweep over L.A. while managing to climb back into the race for the play-in tournament.

A key reason for the mammoth comeback?

None other than Collin Gillespie.

The first-year member of the franchise has played all season on a two-way deal - so the Villanova product has not seen much time at the NBA level. However, his +21 mark in just 15 minutes of action against the Clippers raised some eyebrows.

Gerald Bourguet of PHNX followed up with Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer on the performance Gillespie put forth after Thursday's practice:

"There's a lot of confidence in him. Collin just has a way, I think all his teammates love him. There's a toughness, I think the Villanova coaching, the Villanova winning, it's real. He does all the little things that go into winning," said Budenholzer.

Budenholzer wasn't the only member of the franchise that was impressed with how Gillespie carried himself - Devin Booker also heaped praise on the point guard.

"It just seems like a story in itself, an all-time moment for him and a big moment for our team....I've seen behind the scenes, it's nothing that just popped up out of nowhere. I don't think it caught any of us by surprise," Booker said.

All indications are that Gillespie has put in extensive work over the course of the season, and that no one in the building is shocked that he made such a huge mark on a game.

Will that lead to more minutes tomorrow night?

From Budenholzer:

"Certainly probably gonna try and find ways to get him into the games but again, it's lots of times dictated by who's available."

Gillespie receiving meaningful minutes would certainly be a fascinating situation, as he played for the Denver Nuggets before landing in Phoenix - tonight could be a prime opportunity to prove himself once again.

It feels like all but formality that the second-year NBA player has passed Monte Morris on the depth chart, but superseding both Tyus Jones and Bradley Beal could prove to be challenging, although it wouldn't feel right to deny him minutes altogether.

Gillespie now has momentum to continue fighting for a standard NBA contract from Phoenix in the off-season - if the guard receives the chances to do so. He will have 20 games to make a case to be the backup point guard for the franchise in 2025-26.