Isaiah Collier has to be realistic about place in Jazz rotation

Isaiah Collier won’t have an easy time earning extended minutes with the Jazz next season.

USC guard Isaiah Collier is beginning to adjust to the NBA game and the realities of professional sports. Collier has potential, but that doesn’t mean everything is going to come together for him in his first NBA season. Utah Jazz beat writer Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune lays out a blueprint for the Jazz’ 2024-2025 NBA rotation in which Collier will be a bit player, not a centerpiece:

Isaiah Collier’s position as Utah’s fourth guard — behind Collin Sexton, Keyonte George, and Jordan Clarkson — seems relatively secure given the rest of the rotation. That usually means about 10 minutes per night, but that number might be additionally limited by the fact that George and Sexton can both play point guard.

For everyone else, though? There are real questions. The Jazz’s roster is still begging for a true small forward to play a significant role. Theoretically, any of Sensabaugh, Cody Williams, and Taylor Hendricks could be put in that spot, even starting. Sensabaugh’s the best shooter of the three, Hendricks probably the best defender, and Williams probably the best team offensive connector. Those minutes, however, could easily be squeezed by the Jazz choosing to play big.

The good thing about getting only 10 minutes is that when Collier is on the floor, he can go all-out and won’t have to worry about pacing himself. The real intrigue begins when Collier’s place in the rotation is reconsidered or when an injury occurs. Will Collier be ready to play 20 minutes if asked, and if so, can he make that adjustment during the season?

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Isaiah Collier learns on the job with Jazz in NBA summer league

Isaiah Collier took forward steps for the Jazz. Coaches liked how he played.

Isaiah Collier did not have a transformative and equation-changing NBA summer league with the Utah Jazz. He wasn’t the breakout star of this NBA summer. He also did not decrease his NBA stock. The general consensus is that Collier, the former USC Trojan, had a positive summer and grew in his knowledge and understanding of the pro game, particularly the speed of action and how he needs to work within that environment.

Collier is a longshot to be NBA Rookie of the Year, but his place within the larger pecking order of NBA rookies generally rose this summer. Jazz coaches feel that Collier took steps forward and played well over the past few weeks. He made his share of mistakes, but in a way which is natural for rookies. Collier did not look out of place or fundamentally unprepared for NBA basketball. He looked like he belonged on the court.

Jazz summer league coach Sean Sheldon talked more about Collier’s adjustment process and the need to understand how to use his body and take advantage of his athletic gifts.

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Isaiah Collier wasn’t the only Pac-12 NBA draft pick on the Jazz

Isaiah Collier can swap stories with another Pac-12 star who is joining him on the Jazz.

Isaiah Collier wasn’t the only Pac-12 NBA draft pick on the Utah Jazz a week ago. Colorado, like USC, is moving out of the no-longer-existing Pac-12, but in the last year of Pac-12 basketball, Cody Williams joined Collier as a Pac-12 first-round draft pick.

Rookie Wire has more on the Cody Williams-Isaiah Collier combination which is preparing to make some fresh new Jazz tunes at the NBA summer league:

The Jazz are in talent-collection mode and have added two highly touted players in Williams and Collier in the first round of the draft. They both project to have bright futures ahead and were highly ranked coming out of high school.

The two players will suit up for the Jazz in summer league, beginning in Salt Lake City on Monday against the Memphis Grizzlies. They will play at least five games in the NBA Summer League starting on July 13 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Williams and Collier will be joined by No. 32 pick Kyle Filipowski and roster players Keyonte George, Taylor Hendricks, Walker Kessler and Brice Sensabaugh, among others.

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Trojans Wire discusses Isaiah Collier, Bronny James on Salt Lake City radio

We talked to KSL Sports in Salt Lake City about Isaiah Collier, the new Jazz Man.

We were invited back by the KSL Sports Zone, at 97.5 FM radio in Salt Lake City, to discuss USC sports topics Utah-based fans are interested in. Utahns are definitely interested in USC’s Isaiah Collier now that the former Trojan is a member of the Utah Jazz following the 2024 NBA draft. Bronny James is a national point of interest, so we also discussed LeBron’s son and the Lakers on our radio segment with KSL.

The whole segment is packed with various angles, but one of the especially interesting aspects of the discussion came when the hosts asked us what went wrong with USC basketball last season. Outsiders might have thought that the USC players just didn’t get along with each other or that the locker room wasn’t united. That really wasn’t the case. Players continued to play hard through the season. Recall how hard USC played in its last two games against Arizona. The Trojans put forth a strong effort late in the season instead of folding the tent. Why did things go so wrong? We offered the blunt truth about USC in this Collier-and-Bronny discussion at KSL Sports:

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USA TODAY Sports offers instant reaction to Isaiah Collier Jazz pick in NBA draft

USA TODAY Sports evaluates Isaiah Collier after his selection at No. 29 to the Jazz.

Isaiah Collier was picked late in the first round of the 2024 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz. He fell out of the top five, then the top 10, then the lottery (the top 14), then the top 15, then the top 20. He stayed in the first round, but only by the slightest of margins. USA TODAY Sports is covering the NBA draft. Here’s instant analysis of Collier and the Jazz’s pick:

At times during the 2023-24 season Collier was a projected lottery pick. The Trojans didn’t have a great season, and Collier, who averaged 16.3 points and 4.3 assists and shot 49% from the field, dropped in the draft. However, the 6-3, 205-pounder has an NBA-ready frame, is strong and gets to the rim and finishes. He needs to work on an inconsistent jump shot and can be a shut-down defender if he puts his mind to it. He could end up being a valuable pick at this point in the draft. — Jeff Zillgitt

If there’s a positive aspect of going to the Jazz, it is that Utah has had a lot of young players go through the organization in recent years. The Jazz are a player development franchise without win-now pressure. It’s also not a media fishbowl the way New York is. The Knicks had a chance to pick Collier at both No. 25 and 26, but passed. It’s probably for the best that Collier is going to Salt Lake City instead of the Big Apple. Still, No. 29 is not what Collier or USC wanted.

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Former Warrior Otto Porter Jr. retires from NBA

The veteran forward was a key piece during the Warriors run to a title in 2022.

On Monday evening, a key member of the Golden State Warriors’ run to a championship in 2022 announced his retirement from the NBA. After 10 seasons in the NBA, Otto Porter Jr. announced his retirement from the league.

In his only season in the Bay Area with the Warriors, Porter Jr. averaged 8.2 points on 46.4% shooting from the field and 37% from beyond the arc in 22.2 minutes per game on the way to the NBA Finals in 2022.

Porter Jr. started three games in the NBA Finals against the Celtics, averaging 5.2 points on 58.8% shooting from the field and 56.3% from deep with two rebounds, a steal and an assist per game.

Via @utahjazz on Twitter:

Porter Jr. was initially drafted out of Georgetown by the Washington Wizards in the first round of the 2013 NBA draft. Along with Washington and Golden State, Porter Jr. had stops with the Chicago Bulls, Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors in his career.

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

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NBA Twitter reacts to Klay Thompson scoring 35 off the bench in Warriors win: ‘The most confusing player in the league’

Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to Klay Thompson going for 35 points off the bench.

Klay Thompson started the game against the Utah Jazz off the bench for the first time in 12 years.

He scored 35 points on 7/13 three-pointers in 28 minutes of action to lead Golden State to an important 140-137 win over the Jazz in Utah.

Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to Klay not starting, but going off for 35 points.

NBA Trade Deadline Tracker: Every trade that happened leading up to the 2024 trade deadline

Keep track of every NBA trade right here

The NBA trade deadline never lacks when it comes to the drama and intrigue surrounding it. There are always big names churning through the rumor mill — some truly in danger of being moved, others just being thrown out as smokescreens.

We’re mostly seeing the latter so far this year for the trade deadline.

There are lots of names being discussed so far as we inch closer and closer to the end here, but there doesn’t seem to be much action surrounding any of them.

RELATED: 12 of the biggest names in the NBA trade deadline rumor mill

With that being said, though, some teams have already made moves to improve their team on the fringes. Some teams have also already made some pretty splashy moves — they just took action a while ago.

With that in mind, here’s a running tracker for every trade we’ve seen so far ahead of the deadline. Come back here as the trades continue to flow in for a quick rundown.

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Trade rumors: Warriors show interest in Jazz center Kelly Olynyk

The Warriors are reportedly showing interest in a veteran big man from the Utah Jazz.

As the trade deadline creeps up, different names and rumors are starting to be connected to the Golden State Warriors.

In an appearance on “SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt,” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski mentioned Utah Jazz center Kelly Olynyk as a player the Warriors could pursue.

Via @wojespn on X:

Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports also mentioned Olynyk as a player the Warriors have shown interest in. The Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers have also shown interest in the former Gonzaga big man, per Fischer.

In his 10th season, the former first-round pick out of Gonzaga is averaging 8.1 points on 56.2% from the field and 42.9% from beyond the arc. Olynyk is adding 5.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 20.4 minutes off the bench.

The Canadian big man would provide the Warriors with some much-needed size and floor spacing in a frontcourt that features Kevon Looney, Dario Saric and rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis.

The trade deadline is Thursday, Feb. 9, at noon PT.

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and X

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NBA Twitter reacts to wild overtime Jazz-Pistons game: ‘Game of the year’

Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to a wild overtime game between the Jazz and the Pistons.

The Utah Jazz and the Detroit Pistons played one of the best games of the season in Salt Lake City on Wednesday night.

Utah won 154-148 in a wild overtime thriller with some great performances and incredible scoring.

NBA Twitter was talking about the Pistons, yet again, after that crazy game in Utah.