Will Hardy Sounds Off Initial Thoughts of Jazz Rookie Isaiah Collier

The Utah Jazz head coach likes what he sees from his first-year guard.

Oct 7, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Isaiah Collier (13) and head coach Will Hardy speak during a second quarter break in action against the Houston Rockets at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The Utah Jazz have gotten off to a hot start during their first two preseason contests, as they managed to take home a win in their Friday debut vs. the New Zealand Breakers, then followed that effort up on Monday with their latest 122-113 win against the Houston Rockets to take their preliminary record to 2-0.

And through those first two showings, the Jazz have gotten some solid flashes out of first-year guard Isaiah Collier. The shot and his offensive efficiency haven't quite come around, as he's shot a combined 2-10 in Utah's preseason, but by generating a collective eight assists and six steals in that same timeframe, the USC product is still finding a way to make an impact on both sides of the ball.

Jazz head coach Will Hardy got a chance to speak with the media after his Monday win vs. the Rockets, where he dished some thoughts about what he's seen from his rookie guard.

"He's definitely a change of pace on both ends," Hardy said. "He has a knack for the ball-- that's been clear through camp. The steals don't surprise me. Now, we need to couple that with a little bit more 'solid' in certain moments, and not be quite as much 'all-or-nothing."

The Jazz had luck on their side to secure Collier during this summer's draft, as the projected lottery guard fell in Utah's lap down at pick 29 towards the end of the first round. Now, Coach Hardy has another young talented guard to utilize in his rotation for the foreseeable future.

"As we know, the season is long, and having people that can come off the bench and change the tempo of the game is a huge advantage," Hardy continued. "There's plenty of nights where the game is a little flat to start, especially once you get around game 35 to 40, so to have somebody that can really uplift the group and change the group is really helpful... We need to just shore up a little bit of some of the technique and a little bit of the scheme. "

Thankfully for Collier, there's loads of time ahead of him to shore up the technical side of the game that Hardy aspires for, as the start of a lengthy rookie season looms at the end of this month, and two weeks of camp and preseason give the 21-year-old more time to adjust to the NBA game.

Collier will have another opportunity to take the floor for the Jazz in the preseason soon, as their third matchup and first road contest sits right around the corner on Thursday, October 10th against the Dallas Mavericks.

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