Isaiah Collier continues his progress in Jazz Tankapalooza loss vs Pelicans

It would surely be a Tankapalooza game for the ages between the Utah Jazz and New Orleans Pelicans. With Zion Williamson, Lauri Markkanen, Brandon Ingram, John Collins, Herb Jones, and Collin Sexton all out, this was an all-time tanking matchup.

At first, it looked like the Jazz would run away with it, but then the Pelicans showed signs of life that eventually led to them taking the lead. After the two exchanged blows throughout the fourth quarter and overtime, the Pelicans emerged victorious for the second time.

Love or hate the final result, there was a lot to like what the Jazz did. Kyle Filipowski dominated the boards, which is pretty unheard of for someone projected to be a stretch big. Walker Kessler put up a double-double, but that's to be expected from him at this point. Svi Mykhailiuk continues to thrive when the Jazz give him minutes.

The biggest headline of the night was the play of Isaiah Collier.

Collier continues to look more comfortable in bigger role

After looking more like the player the Jazz had in mind when they beat the Nets, Collier put up 20 points and 11 assists, though he also shot seven-for-20 and coughed up four turnovers. He also didn't have much scoring luck as the game progressed.

So, Collier still put up an inefficient plotline, but at least he's playing with much more confidence. Young guys show who they really are when given a bigger role. With Sexton out, Collier didn't turn into Stephen Curry but continued demonstrating that he wasn't a waste of a pick. He also did something that only one other rookie has done this season.

(Note, that's Jared McCain for anyone who didn't recognize the name)

This is good news for the Jazz after their rookie class was given a harsh assessment for their performance this season. Collier's progress is definitely noteworthy even if the Jazz didn't get the win in the end, but it's not like Utah would be upset about gaining some distance from New Orleans in the tanking game.

The real question will be whether Collier and Keyonte George are the backcourt of the future for the Jazz. Both have shown promise in their own way, though both are undersized guards. Tonight, they fared okay despite the Jazz being undermanned, and it's a good step in the right direction nonetheless.

It's not exactly clear if those two will be paired together in the starting backcourt for the Jazz's next playoff contender, and if they show they can't work together, that could be a problem. For the Jazz, though, that's a good problem to have.