Inside The Jazz

Three Questions the Jazz Must Answer Post-All-Star Break

The Utah Jazz have an interesting 28 games remaining on their schedule.

Jared Koch

Feb 7, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Utah Jazz guard Isaiah Collier (13) celebrates against the Phoenix Suns during the second half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
Feb 7, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Utah Jazz guard Isaiah Collier (13) celebrates against the Phoenix Suns during the second half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
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Moving out of the All-Star Break, the Utah Jazz now have just under 30 games to go for their 2024-25 campaign.

And while their hopes of making it into the playoff picture are likely dead in the water, there are still a few questions on the table for this team as they wrap up their third year under head coach Will Hardy, and effectively the third outing of their long-winded rebuild process.

Whether it concerns the growth and development of some young contributors on the roster, or how this team could look on the floor with their mix of young and old players in the second half of a tanking season, the coming weeks will still have some intriguing storylines to take note of.

Here's three questions the Jazz will answer in their second half stretch of the 2024-25 NBA season.

Utah Jazz guard Isaiah Collier (13) brings the ball up court during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers
Feb 8, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Utah Jazz guard Isaiah Collier (13) brings the ball up court during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images / Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Will Isaiah Collier keep the hot hand?

After starting the season in and out of the rotation, Collier has made his mark as one of the best parts of an otherwise bumpy Jazz campaign.

During his past 20 games, he's seen some strong success. The rookie guard has averaged 11.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 8.8 assists on 46.5% shooting from the field.

For being the 29th pick in last year's draft, Collier is certainly proving to teams why it might've been a mistake to pass up on him. He's been a nightly starter since hitting his stride and has developed into one of the best playmakers on the Jazz roster.

But the big question for Collier relies on whether he can sustain the high production for the remainder of the year at a consistent level, along with how he can continue to improve from what he's already shown –– most notably as a threat from the outside.

During that same 20-game stretch Collier has averaged 29.0% shooting from three, while also averaging 3.5 turnovers a night. The flashes of production are clearly present, but the goal will be for the USC product to tighten up around the edges for the final 28.

Utah Jazz forward Cody Williams (5) dribbles the ball during the second half against the Atlanta Hawks at Delta Center.
Jan 7, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward Cody Williams (5) dribbles the ball during the second half against the Atlanta Hawks at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images / Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images

Can Cody Williams close out his rookie year strong?

While the Jazz's other first-rounder has begun to hit his stride, their 10th-overall selection from this summer, Cody Williams, has seen his fair share of struggles to start his rookie career.

The Colorado wing has been bouncing between the G League and the main roster through the first half of the season, and has yet to truly find consistent footing. In 29 NBA games, Williams has started in 12, averaging 3.9 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists.

Williams was advertised as a project player coming out of the draft due to his limited experience and below-average frame, and it's been presented thoroughly through his first year pro. However, the final 28 games of the year could act as a runway for the 20-year-old to take off heading into his sophomore campaign.

For what remains in his first season, the Jazz coaching staff should find more ways to get Williams involved on both ends of the floor, giving him some valuable exposure and experience going into a critical offseason.

In doing so, the process might not be perfect, but it could help the rookie catch up in his aspired development as one of Utah's top building blocks.

Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy directs his team during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers at Delta Center.
Feb 12, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy directs his team during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images / Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images

How does Will Hardy set up the rotation?

The most pressing question for the Jazz for their next two months may lean on how Will Hardy and Utah's staff prioritize their nightly rotation in their final showings of the season.

Utah is in clear rebuild mode, and has several young players worthy of minutes to progress and develop. But they also have a roster with a few notable veterans deserving of minutes, yet not quite a perfect fit on the Jazz's timeline.

Guys like John Collins and Jordan Clarkson fit that mold, and with neither being on the move during a hectic trade deadline season, it makes you wonder what their plan is in the Jazz's rotation.

Will the Jazz continue to roll out a starting lineup with both Clarkson and Collins? Or will Hardy decide to take a step back and start younger first and second-year options? As Utah's game count gets shorter and shorter, the latter seems to be more likely, but only time will tell.

The post-All-Star stretch of the season could also provide an opportunity for Hardy to experiment with some new lineups, such as putting Collier and George in the same starting backcourt, or even rolling out a starting five with all three of the Jazz's rookies in the mix.

At this point in the season, the world is Will Hardy's oyster. Let's see how he tackles it.

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Jared Koch
JARED KOCH

Jared Koch is the Associate Editor of The Frozen Rope — SI.com's team website covering the Utah Jazz. He's covered the NBA and NFL for the past two years, also being the Managing Editor of Inside The Kings — SI.com's team website covering the Sacramento Kings.

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