Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
- Isaiah Collier's impressive passing skills were highlighted in Jazz's 121-110 loss.
- Collier's campaign for NBA All-Rookie team includes a unique 'Big Mountain Pass' theme.
- Kyle Filipowski also vies for rookie honors, averaging 12 points and 46% from 3-point range.
SALT LAKE CITY — Isaiah Collier took a quick glance to his right and then fired an overhead pass the opposite way through the Houston defense to Collin Sexton in the corner.
Sexton's triple cut the Houston lead to 3 with under four minutes remaining — a lead the Rockets would ultimately hold onto in the team's 121-110 win over the Jazz Thursday at the Delta Center.
That type of a pass was the reason that weeks ago, Collier was sitting in a studio on a faux chair lift for a photoshoot for an NBA All-Rookie team campaign.
The Jazz unveiled the "Big Mountain Pass" campaign, playing off Collier's assist numbers and passing ability. The team will send NBA award voters a lanyard and "ski pass" as part of the campaign.
Which begged the question: Has Collier ever skied?
"Nah, I ain't ever ski," he said with a chuckle. "This is the first time in Utah. We'll see when the career is over."
He's hoping that will be some time away.
Collier had 16 points and five assists in the loss to the Rockets in his 41st start of the season, adding to his case for a spot on one of the all-rookie teams. His stats in those starts were 11.1 points and 7.7 assists. The assists, in particular, lead all rookies and would be seventh in the NBA if spread out to a full season.
"I feel like my game is different from everybody else (of the rookies)," Collier said. "I'm more so a traditional point guard, in my opinion."
He admitted it took some time to adjust to the NBA game — it was faster and the passing lanes tighter — but once he grew comfortable, he saw his game start to take off.
Yes, the passing numbers stand out, but what's impressed head coach Will Hardy the most about the season has been the improvement Collier's shown. The young guard could always pass — he said he's been doing that since his middle school days — but Hardy has seen the other parts of his game take a step forward, too.
"He's shown the ability to learn," Hardy said. "His shooting has improved of late. His defensive understanding has continued to grow throughout the season. His situational awareness has continued to grow throughout the season. He's turning into a good young point guard."
And, yes, he feels like he deserves a spot on one of the teams.
"I'm up there in the conversation, to be honest," Collier said. "Especially the second half of season; I think it blew up for me."
That much is true. After claiming the starting point guard spot, Collier won Western Conference Rookie of the Month for February.
But he's not the only player on the Jazz who will be pushing for a spot. Utah will launch a similar campaign for Kyle Filipwoski ahead of the voting season, too.
"Sometimes, all-rookie teams or all-NBA teams, it's about the totality of the season; and maybe that could work against Kyle a little bit, but I feel like you'd be hard pressed to find a bunch of rookies who are playing better than Kyle's been playing the last two months," Hardy said.
In those last two months, Filipowski has averaged a hair under 12 points per game and has shot 46% from 3-point range. The Jazz have expanded his responsibilities on offense during that time, too, using him as a playmaker from the top of the key.
That was on display Thursday when he finished with four assists to go along with 16 points and seven rebounds. But to Hardy's point, neither Filipowski or Collier had strong openings to the season, which is something that could hurt their cases against the likes of Zach Edey, Jaylen Wells and Bub Carrington.
"I haven't really kept up with other players in the league, so I can't really compare myself to what others have been doing. But just going off of how I feel, like, how I've been performing recently, I feel like I could definitely be; I deserve to be up for discussion," Filipowski said of being on one of the teams.
That discussion will likely be between about 12 guys for 10 spots. Will a strong finish sway some votes? Maybe, maybe not. But at least there's something to watch for as the season enters the final weeks.
