Even though the Utah Jazz had a terrible season, they still had a pretty exciting rookie class, as Kyle Filipowski and Isaiah Collier proved they had promise. While not necessarily stars in the making - Filipowski could prove that notion wrong in no time - they are exciting. That's why it was shocking to see neither mentioned on ESPN's "Most Interesting Sophomores" list.
Jeremy Woo listed 10 sophomores that fans should be interested in. While it's no surprise that players like Zaccharie Risacher (the No. 1 pick in 2024), Jared McCain (played pretty well before tearing his meniscus), and Stephon Castle (the reigning Rookie of the Year) absolutely deserved the mentions, some of the other choices felt undeserving.
Nikola Topic was on the list even though he didn't play last year. He was mentioned because he was a lottery pick that is set to start his NBA career with the reigning NBA Champions. Reed Sheppard also made the list because he was a high lottery pick who didn't show much on a team that's expected to be a contender in the Houston Rockets.
In other words, Filipowski and Collier were snubbed for players who proved a lot less than they did last season. While the two of them would have every right to be insulted by this, this could give both even more fuel than they already have to prove their doubters wrong.
Filipowski & Collier already have a chip on their shoulder
Filipowski and Collier were both late draft picks, as both were considered talented enough to be in the lottery. However, Collier fell to the late first round while FIlipowski fell to the early second round. By the end of their rookie seasons, they made it clear that Utah got two draft steals in them.
Making it worse is that neither Filipowski nor Collier made an All-Rookie team when it was all said and done. It's abundantly clear that the disrespect has only continued ever since the Jazz drafted them last year.
This list should give them even more motivation to prove that the NBA is sleeping on them. They definitely have flaws that they need to iron out, but anyone who has watched Filipowski and Collier can see that players they can become if they figure it out.
While Utah will unquestionably be quite terrible this season, that doesn't mean they may not see breakouts from either of their sophomores. That's why in the end, lists like these could prove to be exactly what those two and the Jazz need for the glorious future they want.
And who knows? After the Summer League performance he just had, Cody Williams might deserve more attention this season, too.