Former USC Trojans All-Pac-12 guard Isaiah Collier made a strong NBA summer debut with the Utah Jazz. Collier came off the bench and stuffed the stat sheet in a high-energy performance. It is notable that even though Collier is a first-round draft pick, he came off the bench in a summer game. One might think that a first-round pick would start in summer games, but the Jazz might have felt that bringing Collier off the bench in the summer makes sense because when the regular season arrives, Collier will definitely be a bench player in Utah. That thought process might have paid off, based on what we saw from Collier in his first NBA game.
Collier scored 14 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, handed out 6 assists, and collected 3 steals. That’s a lot of production in a reserve role. Collier was energized and active at both ends of the floor. He contributed in all facets of the game. Jazz beat writers noted that his defensive effort was better than what they saw on film at USC. NBA analysts were impressed with Collier’s playmaking ability, as the 6 assists indicate. This is a really positive showing, and we hope to see more of it.
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