Isaiah Collier is having an impressive rookie season for the Utah Jazz. Sure, his flaws still stand out like a sore thumb, but he's shown enough over the last month or so that he really could be their point guard of the future.
Collier's getting some well-earned recognition for how well he's played this season, as he's the NBA's newest recipient of the NBA's Rookie of the Month award.
Utah Jazz guard Isaiah Collier and Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher have been named the Kia NBA Western and Eastern Conference Rookies of the Month, respectively, for games played in February. pic.twitter.com/mj0N2a3DfA
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) March 4, 2025
The Athletic's Tony Jones pointed out that Collier could set a new Jazz record for most assists by a Jazz rookie in franchise history. Who currently holds the record? None other than Jazz legend John Stockton.
Stockton put up 415 assists his rookie year. Per Jones, Collier could break that if he averages 4.3 assists over the Jazz's last 21 games. That's also assuming he plays in the Jazz's last 21 games. Even if he doesn't, this doesn't seem too tall of a task.
Isaiah Collier is averaging 11.1 PPG and 8.9 APG over his last 25 games 👀 pic.twitter.com/9ciP6XpEZN
— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) March 1, 2025
In an exclusive interview with Jones, Collier talked about the prospect of surpassing Stockton while praising the Jazz icon. At the same time, he made it clear that his mindset isn't about chasing accolades.
“I had no idea,” Collier said. “That’s crazy. That’s John Stockton. He’s the best point guard of all time, to be honest. If I break that, that’s cool. My first thought is, wow. But I’ve just been trying to go out there and be a good teammate and get the ball to the right guys in the right places on the court.
“I don’t want to try and go out there and do too much. But, yeah, I had no idea about the record. This is the first I’ve heard of it. Just to be mentioned is an honor.”
Collier's play shows that the Jazz have a keeper in him, and his humility demonstrates that he has the right character. He definitely has kinks to iron out, like his woeful shooting, but the good has badly outweighed the bad, and now he could break a record that's been kept for four decades by one of the best point guards of all time.
But it does beg a question.
Is Collier another Jazz great in the making?
In his rookie year alone, Collier has proven he is the best floor general the Jazz have had since Mike Conley. That's definitely a step in the right direction. Better yet, it's only the first step in what will likely become a prosperous career.
Being in the same company as someone like Stockton is insanely impressive. it could be an early indication that he could be another Jazz great waiting in the wings. Expecting him to be a Jazz all-timer is setting the bar outrageously high. He hasn't been as impressive as Donovan Mitchell was in his rookie year. At the same time, Deron Williams wasn't lighting up the box scores during his.
Collier greatly exceeded expectations coming into his rookie year, which has led to him being on track to set a new Jazz record. It may indicate that Utah may have something special with him, or it might not. No one will know for sure until the next few years shake out, but he started his career with the Jazz about as ideally as possible.
If his shooting comes around (and potentially then some), it's going to be hard not to think the Jazz might have an all-timer on their hands.