Keyonte George's ascension, unfortunately, has come at the expense of overshadowing a pretty solid sophomore campaign from Isaiah Collier. Collier was the talk of the town for the Utah Jazz last season, and while he hasn't taken a huge step, he has gotten recognition as one of the NBA's better sophomores, making his All-Rookie snub last year even more inexcusable.
NBA.com's Steve Aschburner ranked Collier No. 7 among NBA sophomores while giving a pretty good explanation why he's so high up.
"Averaging more assists and fewer turnovers than the starter (Keyonte George) he backs up, Collier’s per-36 numbers land him second in the NBA with 10.5 assists, trailing only Denver’s Kia MVP contender, Nikola Jokić (11.2). The sturdy Jazz point guard is a runaway leader in cumulative assists (802) and assists per game (6.7) among the Class of 2024," Aschburner wrote about Collier.
Last season, Collier's impressive play led to him usurping George as Utah's starting point guard. George has since taken his spot back, but that doesn't take away from the fact that Collier was snubbed for an All-Rookie team.
He definitely has his warts, as he still doesn't really have a jumper opponents will respect until he makes them respect it, but for a late first-round pick, Collier has been a nice surprise that hasn't gotten much admiration because a. George has outplayed him (and then some), which doesn't have much to do with Collier and b. the Jazz aren't good.
When things turn around next season, Collier could get the chance to prove just how good he is to the rest of the NBA. Note that the word choice is "could" and not "will."
Will Collier be on the Jazz next season?
The Jazz have signaled through their supposedly controversial decisions that their main aim is to get a high lottery pick. Their frontcourt depth is pretty much set, so if they get a high lottery pick, odds are, they would go for a guard.
If that's the case, what would happen next with Collier? He has shown *some* improvement in his jumper this season, but not a lot. The Jazz trading Walter Clayton Jr. gave him a little more breathing room, but bringing another young guard to Utah would put a lot more pressure on Collier to step up.
Adding even more pressure is the prospect of making a playoff run. The Jazz have the makings of a playoff team next season, but those who don't look ready for it could be cut from the team. No one's calling for Collier's head, but he stands out like a sore thumb, Utah might have to move on.