Due to the progress of some other Utah Jazz players, most notably Keyonte George, it became easy to forget about Isaiah Collier's return. The same Collier who usurped George as the team's starting point guard last season. Following his Summer League performance, many were concerned that Collier would struggle in Year 2, but five games into his return, Collier has alleviated any concerns about a sophomore slump.
Granted, Summer League play should always be taken a major grain of salt, but Collier's decision making was a little disconcerting and his scoring struggles didn't make him look much better. It's not like the Jazz's Summer League team was in dire need of scoring, but it was notable. However, it's been clear that those worries were unnecessary.
Collier's aggression has been evident from the jump. His speed has been just as good as it looked in his rookie year, and even in his limited role to start the season, he's still finding effective ways to be a playmaker. Best of all, it looks like Collier has figured out how to score inside despite being among the smaller players out there.
It's a small sample, but Isaiah Collier has been an improved finisher around the basket to start this season pic.twitter.com/SaTtKEtuKS
— Eric Spyropoulos (@EricSpyroNBA) November 17, 2025
He hasn't really had a bad game since coming back. In five games with the Jazz, he's averaging 11 points, 7.4 assists, and 3.6 assists while shooting 60% from the field. He may be coming off the bench for now, but it might not be long before he's playing alongside George and the starters this season.
He still must add a three-point shot to his arsenal
What Collier is good at, he's really good at. However, while he is shooting 40% from three-point range, don't let that fool you. He's attempted a grand total of five three-pointers and made two of them. Collier is a smart player who has been able to compensate well for his lack of floor spacing, but when the Jazz start getting serious (are we sure they're not now?), opponents will pick on that.
While Utah won't have to worry about that right now (we think?), they can't ignore this. It wouldn't be as big of a problem if it weren't for the fact that George also hasn't proven himself to be an efficient floor spacer. In the NBA, it's tough to win when both of a team's lead guards aren't reliable shooters.
Collier has taken full advantage of what he can do on the floor to the point that it's already unquestionable that Utah should keep him long term. His potential to become a positive (or at least neutral) floor spacer would be all he needs to make the Jazz 100% comfortable playing him in a playoff rotation.