Jazz G Isaiah Collier Among NBA's Most 'Overlooked' Rookies This Season

The Utah Jazz could have a diamond in the rough on their hands.

Jun 26, 2024; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Isaiah Collier shakes hands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver 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

Earlier this offseason, it became clear that the Utah Jazz made out extremely well in this year's draft with their haul of three draft picks, headlined by top-ten selection, Cody Williams out of Colorado. While this roster didn't quite get a hold of a generational superstar among their new rookies, it effectively adds some new budding prospects to an already solid young core.

However, while Williams may be the most eye-catching of the bunch due to his draft stock, it's hard to forget the impact that was made later in the draft by the additions of USC's Isaiah Collier and Duke's Filipowski-- both players who entered the night as fringe lottery picks, but instead fell in the laps of the Jazz.

It's Collier who emerges as the topic of discussion today, as he was dubbed one of Bleacher Report's "overlooked NBA rookies" for the coming season. B/R's Jonathan Wasserman dove a bit deeper into the selection, as he labeled the first-year Jazz guard with some ideal offensive strengths and spark plug ability to help make an impact, even during his rookie year:

"A projected top-five pick at this time last year, Isaiah Collier went from overhyped to overlooked on draft night. He fell too far. Questions around his shooting and turnovers may have been problematic for a lottery point guard a team would build around, but not for a No. 29 pick that possesses Collier's level of outlier strength and creation for rim pressure and playmaking. A bench-spark job feels ideal for Collier's strengths, as well as his weaknesses, which can be minimized and controlled better in a change-of-pace role off the bench."

- Jonathan Wasserman, Bleacher Report

Collier instantly emerges as one of the biggest steals of this year's draft, considering he almost fell to the second round after being in talks as a potential top-ten selection. Of course, it's not to say there's nothing to credit his steep drop to, as he does have some defensive and outside shot limitations, but nothing that shouldn't stop Utah from taking a flyer on him at pick 29.

In his first and only year with USC, Collier averaged 16.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 4.3 assists on 49.0% shooting from the field and 33.8% from deep. As an NBA guard, you'd like to see those three-point numbers take a jump sooner rather than later, but his impact as a scorer on the interior gives him ample ability to get the ball in the basket without an elite jumper.

Especially on an offensive-focused roster like the Jazz, there's enough optimism around him to mask his shortcomings. There are several floor spacers down the depth chart that coach Will Hardy can push into the lineup to play alongside or in place of Collier as he navigates his development. With an already deep backcourt core of Jordan Clarkson, Collin Sexton, and Keyonte George, there's no rush to get things clicking for the 19-year-old.

If Collier can even get close to his projected ceiling as a solid primary ball handler and playmaking guard, there's immense room to make an impact on this rebuilding Jazz squad. It won't be an overnight process to get there, but there's ample reason to believe Utah got a great value pick for where they took him.

While it could be expected for the rookie guard to see some time in the G-League with the Salt Lake City Stats, as we saw last season with other first-year guys like Taylor Hendricks and Brice Sensabaugh, expect Collier to be a prime component of this Jazz rebuild in due time.

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