Isaiah Collier may have slipped out of the spotlight this summer, but he’s started to force his way back into the conversation.
With more attention going to the Utah Jazz’s other guards - Keyonte George and Darryn Peterson - Collier wasn’t the loudest name on the roster heading into the preseason. A few games in, though, he’s making a strong case that he belongs in the middle of Utah’s playoff picture this season.
The shot is still the big question. Collier’s three-pointer remains a work in progress, and he may not need to become a dependable floor-spacer to matter.
What already stands out is the speed, the passing, and the defensive flashes that have shown up early. That last part matters most, because Collier told reporters he spends a lot of time studying Derrick White on film.
That’s not a small thing. White has grown into one of the NBA’s best two-way guards, the kind of player who helps hold everything together. Even with Jayson Tatum missing most of the season, the Celtics still stayed near the top of the East in the regular season, and White had a huge hand in that.
His three-point shooting didn’t hold up, but White’s defense kept Boston steady when things could have gone sideways. If Collier can borrow that part of White’s game, Utah would have plenty to like.
Of course, Collier doesn’t need to be a perfect White clone. Their styles are different.
White’s jumper may have gone cold for only a stretch, since he’s proven himself as an elite shooter. Collier doesn’t have to reach that exact level to become highly effective.
There are already tools to work with. Collier is a better playmaker than White and has more speed. He’s also stocky despite his smaller frame, and that combination gives him a real path to becoming a solid defender on a roster where plenty of people question the team’s ability to hold up on that end.
If he gets there, Utah becomes a much more balanced group. A reliable jumper would be a bonus, but the bigger point is that White’s season showed one thing clearly: a guard can have a rough shooting year and still impact winning in a major way. Collier leaning into that model would give the Jazz another gear, and it would make them a lot harder to play against.
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