By james art 
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It’s been a tumultuous few days for the Utah Jazz rookies. Cody Williams went from low rotation player to starter and Kyle Filipovski went from out of the rotation to starter due to injuries to Taylor Hendricks and Lauri Markkanen, respectively. But there is still one Jazz rookie who has yet to make his NBA debut: Isaiah Collier.
Collier, the 29th pick in the 2024 draft, suffered a hamstring strain after landing awkwardly on his right leg during a preseason game in San Antonio on Oct. 12. He said it’s the first hamstring injury he’s ever had and he’s trying to listen to the medical and training staff as much as possible as he rehabilitates the injury. But it’s definitely disappointing for the rookie, who had to watch his teammates experience their first NBA games while he watched from the sidelines.
“I think it sucks for every injury, missing games and things like that,” Collier said. “I’m just taking it day by day … I want to be out there with the guys you’ve been with all summer. So, I mean, patiently waiting and looking forward to getting out there when I can.
On Oct. 24, the Jazz said Collier continues to make progress toward a return and has been cleared to return to court activities and will be reevaluated in 10 days. That re-evaluation date is Sunday, so hopefully we’ll get a clearer picture of when Collier might be able to rejoin the Jazz, or at least start practicing in full five-on-five settings.
While this is Collier’s first hamstring injury, it’s not the first time he’s had to watch his teammates play without him. At USC last year as a freshman, Collier suffered an unspecified injury to his right hand that required a surgical procedure. But after being sidelined for four weeks, Collier returned and played even better than before — scoring more points, shooting at a higher percentage and handling the ball with fewer turnovers.
He attributed his play at the time to the way he studied and was able to stay engaged while recovering. He hopes to have the same success now with jazz.
“It’s about seeing it from a different perspective,” Collier said. “I feel like the college game was different for me, so I had to sit back and learn a lot. And the NBA is a different game, too. So the learning process will definitely help me … the film sessions for sure … just being able to break down the little things. Point guard, I think it’s the hardest position in the game to be honest. So I sit there, day after day, watching a movie.
Collier, once he can rejoin the rotation, will likely get a chance to pick up the minutes that Patty Mills currently occupies (about 15 minutes per game). Anything more than those minutes will depend on Collier’s performance.
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Quote of the week
“I keep telling myself, it’s 82 games … so there’s a lot of games left.” — Isaiah Collier misses the first games of the season.
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