Isaiah

Collier

Collier provided plenty of assists once again, but turnovers were a major issue for him. This was his seventh straight game with at least eight assists, but he eclipsed his previous career high of six turnovers. Managers should expect the dimes and turnovers to continue for Collier, but he was also able to set a new career-high for steals on Thursday. Collier averaged 1.5 steals per game in college and may eventually contribute real value in that category. This was also the third-straight game that Collier made at least 50 percent of his shot attempts, which is a major improvement on his season-long percentage of 41.3.

George has come off the bench in Utah’s last nine games, with rookie Isaiah Collier (five points, five rebounds, nine assists, and two blocks in 29 minutes) as the starting point guard. The lineup change hasn’t negatively impacted George’s scoring, as he’s hit double figures in eight straight games. Since the lineup change, the second-year guard has provided 11th-round value in 8-cat formats (Collier has been an 8th-round player). George may be the superior scorer, but Collier’s ability to set up teammates has moved him to the top of the depth chart.

Collier continues to dish out the dimes for the Jazz, and he recorded his third straight double-double in their overtime loss to the Suns. He set a new career-high for assists, with 10 of his 13 coming in this first half. He did more scoring in the second half, mostly because Phoenix adjusted on defense to force him to shoot. Collier ended up scoring twice in the final 75 seconds of the fourth quarter to give Utah a four-point lead with four seconds left. Some heroics from Grayson Allen forced overtime, and the Jazz weren’t able to win, but Collier proved once again that he was a steal at pick No. 29 last summer.

Collier recorded a double-double for the second game in a row Wednesday. The 20-year-old point guard only turned the ball over once, though turnovers have been an issue in recent games. Collier also hadn’t scored at least 20 points in his last seven games. He continues to start over Keyonte George, though George dropped 26 points and had six assists of his own Wednesday. The battle for playing between those two will be one to watch over the course of the rest of the season.

Collier continues to be a strong source of assists as Utah’s starting point guard, and he was able to record a double-double in this game, which was his fourth of the season. Collier hasn’t made much of an impact in other categories, but the dimes have been there for him consistently over the past few weeks. Turnovers have been an issue for him this season, which isn’t uncommon for a rookie point guard. He only had two in this game, which was an encouraging sign. He’ll look to keep things going against the Warriors on Wednesday.

George has come off the bench each of Utah’s last four games, with rookie Isaiah Collier taking over as the starting point guard. While the second-year guard is a capable scorer at the point guard position, the playmaking for others and defensive ability have left something to be desired on some nights. George was the superior scorer on Thursday, while Collier finished with 11 points, two rebounds, seven assists, and one 3-pointer in 30 minutes. The battle between those two for the rest of this season is something to watch, especially for those competing in dynasty leagues.

Collier got another start at point guard in this game and once again supplied plenty of assists. He wasn’t able to get a double-double, but he had another efficient night shooting the ball, which is a great step for the rookie point guard. Turnovers continue to be an issue, but that is often the case when a player is dishing out assists as frequently as Collier has. He has at least eight dimes in six of their last seven games, and he has secured his role as the team’s starting point guard. It would be surprising if he didn’t hold onto that for the rest of the season.

The Jazz have made two changes to their starting lineup for Saturday’s game. Collier will replace Keyonte George, who is active and will come off the bench. The other change is Mykhailiuk, who steps in for John Collins. His insertion into the starting lineup means Markkanen slides to the power forward position.

After sitting out Monday’s loss to New Orleans, a well-rested Sexton was back in the Jazz lineup, pushing Isaiah Collier to the bench. While he had a solid night shooting the basketball, Sexton was also responsible for a game-high eight turnovers. However, nights like this haven’t been the norm for Sexton, as he’s averaging 2.6 turnovers per game. As for Collier, he finished Wednesday’s loss with eight points, one rebound, two assists, one steal, two 3-pointers, and six turnovers in 23 minutes. This wasn’t a good night for the rookie, but those who added Collier recently should hold onto him.

Collier has started seven of Utah’s last eight games, reaching double digits in assists in three straight. Utah appeared to be on its way to a big win, leading by as much as 25, but the Pelicans managed to rally and win in overtime. With an eye toward the draft lottery and evaluating their current young talent, the Jazz will play Collier and company plenty between now and the end of the season. Collier is worth adding, especially in deep leagues.