How Jazz Rookie Isaiah Collier Fared in His First Career Start

How Utah point guard Isaiah Collier played in his first professional start.

Nov 9, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Utah Jazz guard Isaiah Collier (13) controls the ball in the first half against the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images / Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Coming into the 2024 NBA Draft cycle, Isaiah Collier was thought of by many to be one of the best players in the entire class. A 6-foot-4 guard with a great mix of physicality, athleticism and skill, he was a near-shoo-in as a top-five pick.

But that’s not how things shook out in his lone season at USC.

He saw some inefficiency, inconsistency and was more prone to turnovers than many scouts would’ve liked, eventually falling into the hands of the Utah Jazz at No. 29 on draft night. 

Still, Collier’s skillset seems to be a sleeping giant, as far as NBA prospects go. And the Jazz seem intent on developing him into a productive guard for the future, even going as far as starting him in Saturday’s night game against the San Antonio Spurs.

A freshly 20-year-old who has yet to find real consistency at any pro level, and to that point had played a measly four NBA minutes, shooting and missing only one shot — Collier underperformed, right?

Luckily for Jazz fans, not quite. In 25 minutes, he scored seven points, grabbed six boards and dished four assists to zero turnover, even adding a steal and block apiece on defense. It wasn’t a head-turning night, but he did plenty in finishing as a +1 plus-minus and helping Utah to a 1-point win.

Collier finished 3-for-9 from the floor, certainly not the efficiency he’ll hope for career-wise. But all of his misses came from beyond the arc — a spot he’s not yet comfortable in yet – and it seems the Jazz were keen to give him a green light.

The rookie will of course need to build off this performance moving forward. There’s no guarantee he’ll be able to do so from the starting lineup again, but he’ll undoubtedly find more comfortability as the Jazz continue to lean into his development. 

The team is back in action against the Phoenix Suns, now without Kevin Durant, on Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 8 p.m. CT.

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