Isaiah Collier Could be Next Great Jazz Point Guard

Drafted well below his projected range coming into the 2023-24 collegiate season, Collier could be a sleeping giant for Utah.

Jun 26, 2024; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Isaiah Collier reacts after being selected in the first round by the Utah Jazz in the 2024 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Coming out of high school, Isaiah Collier ranked as the top player in his class, No. 1 per RSCI. But a rocky year at USC, and failing to sell NBA decision-makers on a few key swing skills, caused him to fall to No. 29 overall.

Still, his pedigree gives Jazz fans hope that he could turn into the next big thing in Utah. Especially with Lauri Markkanen now extended for the long haul, and the team unlikely to contend for top picks in the next few years.

As a dynamic 6-foot-3 point guard, Collier will undoubtedly need the ball in his hands to thrive. But he could be in line for a bevy of minutes in year one.

Even in an underwhelming college season, he managed 16.3 points and 4.3 assists on near-50% shooting overall. And that very same skillset transferred over smoothly in his first professional play. In four Las Vegas Summer League games, Collier averaged 11.8 points and 4.5 assists on near-44%, looking the part of a future NBA point guard.

The high-end outcome of Collier is likely an all-world scorer and high-level facilitator, capable of creating with both speed and strength regularly. His shot-making and decision-making coming around would make him an eerily similar archetype to a former Jazz All-Star.

Collier will undoubtedly need patience, and could even be subject to G League development if the Jazz feels he's further away. But he's unquestionably one of the higher ceiling projects on the roster currently.

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