The Utah Jazz surprised everyone when they elected to start Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler, Kyle Filipowski, Keyonte George, and Svi Mykhailiuk together. Not only has it worked decently, but it's actually yielding some promising results. However, they may see a change following the return of one important Jazz youngster: Isaiah Collier.
Zach Lowe harped on this during "The Zach Lowe Show" though he acknowledged that it's possible George has permanently usurped Collier in the starting lineup.
"By the way, Isaiah Collier's gonna come back at some point. I think he's lost that starting spot (to George) unless you want to start them together. Which, you know what? If Svi Mykhailiuk is your starting two-guard, maybe you do start both of them together."
It is an interesting idea, as George has taken a playmaking leap while Collier's bread and butter is his playmaking. Having two guards who can create for others could hypothetically take the Jazz even further if it works out.
This two-man pairing would have some problems to iron out
Starting George and Collier together is definitely an idea is worth trotting out, but immediately, the first issue that would come up would be how undersized the two of them are. Both are barely over six feet tall, and while George has looked much better defensively, teams will try to exploit the size mismatch.
And that's not the only problem. George and Collier can make the right pass, but opposition will dare both of them to beat them with their shooting. For all the improvements we've seen from George, the inefficiency still stands out like a sore thumb. Collier's jumper is also pretty subpar, meaning teams will be more than happy to let them let it fly from wherever on the court.
It would help to have Markkanen and Filipowski out there with them, but the lack of floor spacing would be a real problem for this hypothetical backcourt. According to NBA.com, the duo posted a net rating of minus-13.9, which is pretty bad.
However, it's not like Utah came into this season with a playoffs or bust mentality. This season is all about what lineups work and where each of their players fit. Add in the possibility that they may fork over a potential lottery pick to Oklahoma City, and they can afford to see whether playing George and Collier together is worth it.
There would definitely be some bumps and bruises, but it could also push them to improve as floor spacers. Even if it doesn't succeed, the Jazz have no reason not to try this out.