The Phoenix Suns have almost wrapped up the preseason with one meeting remaining against the Los Angeles Lakers. Luka Doncic will see action for the first time in that game – and while the Lakers will be without LeBron James due to injury – it will be worth seeing if the Suns can slow down the Slovenian superstar.
Phoenix has already defeated the Lakers once in the preseason, while also sharing an entertaining two-game series with the Brooklyn Nets in China. Head coach Jordan Ott hasn’t been afraid to go to his bench in these games, giving many guys a chance to make an impact alongside franchise cornerstone Devin Booker.
Three Suns have clearly grabbed their opportunity with both hands.
While the Suns’ starting lineup won’t be clear by the time opening night rolls around, the second unit is becoming clearer. Not only that, but some players you’d think would be battling it out from the bench for minutes have instead shown that if Jalen Green or Mark Williams aren’t ready to go when the action really starts, they can step into place.
3. Collin Gillespie
There’s no question that point guard Collin Gillespie was one of the few feel-good stories in Phoenix last season. He was on a two-way contract before the campaign, but this season he is back on a full-time contract as the backup GM behind Booker. If you thought this meant he would take his foot off the gas pedal and be more conservative in his style of play, you would have been proven wrong.
Collin Gillespie will be an elite PG in Year 2 with the Suns pic.twitter.com/lNthFsvvWm
— 𝟮𝟯 (@pul1s1ck) October 12, 2025
Gillespie had 11 points off the bench in the overtime win against the Nets in Macau, giving him the highest rating of the game at plus 15. He made a pair of three-pointers and really looked as comfortable as he has ever done for the team. While he mainly survived on energy and effort alone last season – although that is certainly still visible in his game – there is also more balance and control.
Breaking into the starting five at any point this season would be a tall order, especially since neither Booker nor Green will come off the bench in his place and if all three were to start, the Suns would be far too small. But with Jared Butler having also impressed in the sprints we’ve seen, simply holding the back-up spot as he has done means Gillespie can easily squeeze in 20 minutes.
2. Grayson Allen
We’ve already gone into more detail about Grayson Allen which you can find here, but there’s no doubt that he deserves to be on this list. After a poor year at The Valley last time out, the 30-year-old appears to have brought back the insanely muscular frame from last season, and he is already benefiting from it.
Allen has started injured in Green’s place – and while that won’t last – his place as sixth man here seems all but assured. Why this is important is because Allen fell through the cracks last season, with Royce O’Neale being the most popular choice in that sixth-man role. It looks like Allen has him beat, and knowing his spot in the rotation here should help him immensely.
Expect him to go 40 percent north of deep again, while also being able to start in any games Green misses. His position next to Booker, the playmaker, continues to look good, while he isn’t as bad defensively as is often thought. All of this makes Allen perhaps the most likely trade candidate for the franchise in the future, but for now, he has proven his worth during the preseason.
1. Very oghododo
The Suns need one of their two second-year players, Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro, to show real improvement this season if their rebuild is to take the fastest route possible, and the latter is already receiving massive support from coach Ott. Because Williams was not yet suitable for the organization in the middle – and despite the fact that Ighodaro was seen more as a power forward – he started with the five in Macau.
He scored 12 points in both games — and while backup Nick Richards had 11 points in 16 minutes in the two-point loss to Brooklyn to close the trip — it’s clear the coaching staff likes what they’re seeing with Ighodaro’s athleticism. While he gives up the size of many other centers in the league, Ighodaro has some serious resilience and physicality that makes up for that shortcoming.
Compare that to starting big Khaman Maluach – who has a much more imposing figure – but who can’t move in the paint the same way Ighodaro can. Williams is unlikely to be ready for opening night – and while the Suns have some big players in Maluach and Richards who can fill that gap – the fact that Ighodaro has been asked to do so is the strongest indication yet of the belief in him.
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