Keyonte

George

Collier’s rookie season ends disappointingly, as a hamstring injury cost him Utah’s final three games. However, there were some positives to take from his first NBA season. A fixture in the Jazz starting lineup since early January, Collier provided solid production in the assist category while also being a solid defender. However, the limited scoring negatively impacted his fantasy value, and that’s an area to watch during Summer League play in Las Vegas. Keyonte George should remain in the starting lineup on Sunday.

Friday’s game will be the second straight Collier has missed with a hamstring injury. The rookie will again be replaced in the starting lineup by Keyonte George, who has a higher fantasy ceiling when allowed to start. George offers a lower ceiling in the assist category than Collier, but he is the superior scorer.

Friday’s game will be the fourth Martin has missed due to an illness. Micah Potter played 27 minutes off the bench against the Trail Blazers on Wednesday and should take on a similar workload. As for Collier, he was replaced in the Jazz starting lineup by Keyonte George on Wednesday. That would remain the case if the rookie cannot play.

With Isaiah Collier (hamstring) sidelined, the Jazz called on George to take over the starting point guard responsibilities. While efficiency was an issue, with the second-year guard having more turnovers (seven) than assists (six), he made big plays late. George hit three-pointers on consecutive possessions in overtime to give Utah a five-point lead with just under a minute remaining. Utah entered Wednesday a putrid 1-53 in games it trailed at the end of three quarters; they’re 2-53 now.

The Jazz are without Isaiah Collier for Wednesday’s game, with a hamstring injury sidelining the rookie. He’s been replaced in the starting lineup by George, who will make his first start since January 17. The move raises Keyonte’s ceiling in active fantasy leagues, but managers should not expect much from him in the assist category.

Collier will miss Wednesday’s game, the first that he will not start since January 17. The rookie’s absence could open the door for Keyonte George to return to the starting lineup, but fantasy managers should expect more production from him in the points category than in the assists category.

After scoring 29 points on 11-of-25 shooting across his two prior appearances, George exploded in Atlanta. The 35 points were a season-high for the Jazz guard, who has three games of 30 or more to his credit. However, while George has averaged just under 18 points per game over the past two weeks, he’s only shooting 39 percent from the field. Add in the limited defensive production, and George has only been a late-round player in 12-team leagues over the past two weeks.

Sure, there aren’t many positives to take from a 143-105 defeat. However, Collier’s performance was arguably his best of the season. Not only did the rookie shoot over 50 percent from the field and score 22 points, but he also dished out 10 assists and did not commit a turnover. With Collier committing at least four turnovers in four of his previous five appearances, this was a welcome performance from the first-round pick out of USC. Given how Jazz coach Will Hardy has handled the minutes, it appears the team feels better about Collier at the point than 2023 first-round pick Keyonte George. George has not started a game since January 22, and he finished Wednesday’s loss with 14 points, one rebound and three three-pointers in 27 minutes.

With both players out after initially being listed as questionable, the Jazz will have two open spots in their starting lineup. Keyonte George, Johnny Juzang and Brice Sensabaugh will all be candidates to fill the void, though all three should see a bump in minutes and usage regardless of who starts.

George bounced back from two ugly games where he was a combined 2-of-15 from the field and combined for only 14 points. The 21-year-old point guard topped those numbers with 17 points on 11 shots Thursday against the Rockets. He also dished out eight assists and now has at least seven assists in three of his last four games. George, who is shooting just under 40 percent from the field this year, is due for some ups and downs with his field-goal percentage as that part of his game still needs more work.