Isaiah

Collier

Collier has played well this summer, but this was by far his best scoring performance. His previous scoring high was 14 in his Summer League debut, which he shattered on Thursday night. He has had the ball in his hands more with Keyonte George done for the summer, which has given him the chance to shine. Collier is absolutely worthy of a stash in dynasty formats, though his role for this upcoming season is still unclear due to the team’s depth.

With Keyonte George sitting out the Las Vegas games after shining in Salt Lake City to begin the week, Collier moved into the starting point guard role. While he did not shoot the ball as well as he’s capable of, the former USC guard got his teammates into spots where they could flourish. Collier’s seven assists were countered by just one turnover, an impressive ratio for the rookie guard. He’ll continue to take on most of the point guard responsibilities, and thus far, Collier has looked like a steal for the Jazz.

The Jazz limited Collier’s minutes on Tuesday so that he could play again in this game, and he played well in his 20 minutes off the bench. He slipped to the Jazz late in the first round, and he has had a strong start to the summer. There is a chance that he moves into the starting unit for this summer if they decide that Keyonte George has shown enough, which could give us a closer look at Collier. Early on, he is looking like a steal for the Jazz.

Collier, the 29th overall pick in last month’s draft, had a solid summer debut on Monday. He played under control, displaying a solid grasp of when to seek his shot and when to get others involved. Collier’s six assists were countered by two turnovers, a better ratio than starters Keyonte George (four assists, five turnovers) and Brice Sensabaugh (one assist, seven turnovers). Collier was part of Utah’s closing lineup, replacing Sensabaugh. It’s just one summer league game, but the former USC standout is a rookie whose role could expand as the regular season progresses. Outside of signing Drew Eubanks, the Jazz haven’t done anything in free agency, an approach that could put the team in the “Cooper Flagg sweepstakes” this winter.

Collier mirrored Jaylen Brown’s path by going from Wheeler High School in Marietta, GA to a Pac-12 school in California to play collegiately as a five-star recruit. Unfortunately, despite being considered the top high school player in the nation, the 6’5” guard didn’t help his draft stock during his one year with the Trojans. He averaged 16.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 triple per game in 27 appearances at USC. The team finished with a sub .500 record, so Collier didn’t get a chance to shine in the tournament. Turnovers were an issue for him throughout the season, but he was able to display the ability to score on all three levels during his freshman season. He’s a strong driver that can bulldoze through opposing defenders, which is a skill that should serve him well at the next level. He slid far, and the Jazz will reap the benefits. He’ll fit into a loaded guard room with Keyonte George, Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson, so he may not play a ton early on, but he could end up as one of the steals of the draft.