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New Suns wing Dillon Brooks hints teammate as 'Villain Jr.' for 2025-2026 season

Originally posted on Burn City Sports
By Tanner Tortorella | Last updated Oct 15, 2025 12:35 PM ET

GLENDALE – Phoenix Suns guard Dillon Brooks has earned his notoriety via his villain persona that he has fully embraced. That mindset has turned the former second-round pick into a premier role player on a contending team. Since his arrival to the Valley, Brooks has promised to bring that same energy to the fans of Phoenix, which has hinted that he might not be alone in that regard.

When speaking to the media on Tuesday, Brooks has acknowledge that there is a “Villain Jr.” on the team, who he’ll reveal by opening night.

Brooks on who “Villain Jr.” could be:

Dillon Brooks reiterates that "Villain Jr." is NOT who you think it is pic.twitter.com/V2c6r9ohLr

— PHNX Suns (@PHNX_Suns) October 14, 2025

The mystery of who could fill this role is an exciting development before the start of the 2025-2026 season. The options can vary to any of the young prospects on the roster, with four rookies on the roster and two second-year players. However, the answer might be a player that came into the league with low expectations and has flourish because of his hard-nose play, that being guard Collin Gillespie.

The 26-year-old guard went undrafted in the 2023 draft, after a successful college career. Gillespie rode the bench through his first year with the Denver Nuggets, not given a serious opportunity. The Suns have given Gillespie a chance to earn his minutes in the league, which has been filled with nothing but energy and grit.

Other players like Ryan Dunn or Rasheer Fleming would fit the bill of being young wings, filling in the “Jr.” part of the name nicely. Despite that, Gillespie’s playstyle fits perfectly into the archetype of the type of player Brooks was and has become in the NBA.

This article first appeared on Burn City Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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