Isaiah Collier definitely hoped to be a top-20 pick in the 2024 NBA draft. Among all the prospects on the draft board Wednesday night, only one — Dalton Knecht of Tennessee — fell as far as Collier did, relative to in-season projections which carried through the middle of May and into the NBA draft lottery. Knecht was widely seen as a top-10 pick, but he fell to No. 17 on draft night. Collier was a top-20 pick for most of the pre-draft process, but he slid all the way to No. 29 and the Utah Jazz. It’s not the outcome he wanted. Yet, there is a point of consolation to be found. Collier won’t step into a suffocating media environment or an immediate win-now situation. He will have time and space to grow in Salt Lake City.
The New York Knicks had a chance to pick Collier at 25 and 26 in the first round. They passed. We have to ask: Would that have been a good spot for Collier? On one hand, it might have seemed like a great situation. Collier could have become the backup to Jalen Brunson, sat on the bench for most of his rookie season, and slowly learned how to play. However, New York’s NBA championship ambitions and media feeding frenzy likely would have turned up the heat on Collier to perform. It really wouldn’t have been the ideal spot to launch a pro career.
Collier needs time to develop his jump shot and refine his game. He will get time with the Jazz, and he won’t have a local press corps which will breathe down his neck. No one wants to slide 10 or more spots on draft night, but the landing spot isn’t nearly as bad as it could have been. Collier goes to one of the NBA’s less intimidating markets and can build back his basketball career without a lot of distractions.
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