Collin Gillespie spent the first two months of the 2025-26 campaign forcing his way out of a crowded rotation and into a full-time starting gig. He initially carved out minutes as a sparkplug distributor off the bench. On 10/27 vs UTA, he tallied 15 points and 13 assists to post a +3.2 Impact score, generating crucial playmaking value to offset a rough 5-for-13 shooting night. There were certainly growing pains when his jumper evaporated entirely. During an ugly outing on 11/07 vs LAC, Gillespie threw up a brutal 0-for-5 donut from the field. This dragged his Impact down to -6.2, as his seven assists simply could not rescue a shift defined by a total lack of scoring gravity. However, a late-November promotion to the starting five ultimately unlocked his ceiling as a perimeter threat. That offensive leap peaked on 12/02 vs LAL when he erupted for 28 points and a massive +24.8 Impact score, burying the defense with an 8-for-14 barrage from beyond the arc.

Collin Gillespie’s midseason run was defined by extreme perimeter volatility, oscillating wildly between game-breaking sniper and ice-cold liability. When his jumper fell, he was an utterly lethal offensive engine. He peaked on 02/03 vs POR, torching the nets for 30 points and 10 assists on eight made threes to generate a massive +27.4 impact score. Yet even when his shooting completely vanished, he occasionally found ways to survive on the margins. During a brutal 0-for-6 shooting night on 01/12 vs WAS, Gillespie still managed to scrape out a +0.9 impact score by pivoting to a facilitator role, grabbing six rebounds and dishing five assists to keep the offense moving despite his broken jumper. Unfortunately, that scrappy utility didn't always save him from his own cold streaks. He closed this stretch mired in a brutal slump, posting a -4.6 impact on 02/19 vs SAS as he bricked 10 of his 13 attempts and stalled possessions with forced, contested looks.

Collin Gillespie’s late-season run was defined by wild, unpredictable swings between offensive brilliance and absolute shooting disasters that eventually cost him his starting job. When his jumper was falling, he looked like a highly capable floor general. He dropped 24 points on six made threes during the 03/19 vs SAS matchup, generating a massive +23.2 impact score through pure shot-making. He didn't always need a barrage of points to swing a game, either. During the 03/10 vs MIL contest, Gillespie posted a stellar +13.4 impact score despite scoring just 12 points, using aggressive rebounding and nine assists to completely control the tempo and create value without scoring. But his cold streaks were brutal enough to sink the offense entirely. He suffered an abysmal -14.7 impact score on 03/29 vs UTA after bricking all eight of his three-point attempts, offering zero gravity to space the floor for his teammates. Those frequent offensive disappearances ultimately forced the coaching staff to pull him from the starting lineup in early April, relegating him to a quiet bench role to close out the year.