Apr 6, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Utah Jazz guard Isaiah Collier (13) shoots against the Atlanta Hawks in the third quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Jazz's Isaiah Collier Shares Thoughts on Rookie Season

Originally posted on Utah Jazz on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Apr 26, 2025 12:30 PM ET

The Utah Jazz were able to receive a pleasant surprise for the 2024-25 campaign in the form of Isaiah Collier's explosive rookie campaign, who bursted onto the scene as one of the best first-year guards in the class after being picked up nearly in the second round as the 29th-overall pick in last summer's draft.

Through 71 games played, Collier put together 8.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 6.3 assists on 42.2% shooting from the field– effectively leading the rookie class in total assists, while also breaking the Jazz franchise record for rookie assists in a single season, surpassing Hall of Famer John Stockton in the process.

All in all, it was a season that had its ups and downs collectively, but when asking Collier himself about the evaluation of his first year in the league, the Jazz guard notes the campaign as an overall success.

"I'd say at the beginning, it started very slow," Collier said. "I had to learn a lot coming into the situation. As the season went on, played more games, got adjusted a little bit. I think that January period was a leap for me, where I made a good adjustment to the NBA game, so I kept building on it. Went through February, felt like that was a very good month for me... I'd say it gradually went up. I think that's a good thing for me, just coming in as a rookie. I think that's the biggest thing, just learning the game. So, I mean, I'd say it was an overall successful season, in general."

Collier's rise to the top of the Jazz rotation was far from an overnight process. He started the season with some reps in the G League, placing just outside of the Utah lineup, before then shifting to a solid bench role soon after, then becoming the starting point guard next to Collin Sexton in the backcourt by season's end.

Thanks to a surging second half of the year as the Jazz's primary playmaker in the offense, Collier since cemented himself as a long-term piece in Utah's guard rotation. And now, he enters a huge offseason where he can find himself even more adjusted within the Jazz system, perhaps leading to an even bigger year two.

After falling into their laps at 29 just under a year ago, it's starting to show that the Jazz brass found themselves another draft steal to add into their mix of young, budding talent for the future.

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This article first appeared on Utah Jazz on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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