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It’s been a whirlwind few days for the Utah Jazz rookies. Cody Williams went from being a low-minute rotation player to starting and Kyle Filipowski went from being out of the rotation to starting due to injuries to Taylor Hendricks and Lauri Markkanen, respectively. But there’s still one Jazz rookie who has yet to make his NBA debut: Isaiah Collier.

Collier, the 29th overall pick in the 2024 draft, suffered a hamstring strain after coming down awkwardly on his right leg during a preseason game in San Antonio on Oct. 12. He said that it’s the first hamstring injury that he’s ever had and he’s trying to listen to the medical and training staff as much as possible as he rehabs the injury. But it’s definitely frustrating for the rookie who has had to watch his teammates experience their NBA firsts while he watches from the sidelines.

“I think it sucks for any injury, missing games and things like that,” Collier said. “Just taking it day by day ... wanting to be out there with the guys that 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 that Collier was continuing to make progress toward a return and had been cleared to return to on-court activities and would be reevaluated in 10 days. That reevaluation date is Sunday, so we’ll hopefully be getting a clearer picture of when Collier might be able to rejoin the Jazz or at least start practicing in full five-on-five settings.

Though 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 sustained an unspecified right-hand injury that required a surgical procedure. But, after being out for four weeks, Collier came back and was playing even better than before — scoring more points, shooting at a higher percentage, and handling the ball with fewer turnovers.

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He credited his play at the time with the way that he studied and was able to stay engaged while he was rehabbing. He’s hoping now with the Jazz he can have the same type of success.

“It was about seeing it from different point of view,” 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 as well. So the learning process will definitely help me ... the film sessions for sure ... just being able to break little things down. The point guard, I think that’s the hardest position in the game, to be honest. So sitting there, day by day, watching film.”

Collier, once able to rejoin the rotation, will likely get a shot taking over the minutes that Patty Mills is currently occupying (about 15 minutes per game). Anything more than those minutes will depend on Collier’s performance.

Justin Zanik, Jazz general manager, and Utah Jazz draft pick Isaiah Collier, 29th overall pick, speak during a press conference at the Utah Jazz Zions Bank Basketball Campus in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, July 2, 2024. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

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“I just keep telling myself, it’s 82 games ... so it’s a whole lot of games left.” Isaiah Collier on missing the first games of the season.

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  • Jazz address urgency and body language in lengthy film session (Deseret News)
  • The Bible verse Taylor Hendricks shared following his major injury (Deseret News)
  • Jazz fall to 0-5 on the season as Victor Wembanyama has historic game (Deseret News)

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  • Nov. 2 | 8 p.m. | Utah Jazz @ Denver Nuggets | KJZZ
  • Nov. 4 | 6:30 p.m. | Utah Jazz @ Chicago Bulls | KJZZ
  • Nov. 7 | 6 p.m. | Utah Jazz @ Milwaukee Bucks | KJZZ
  • Nov. 9 | 3 p.m. | Utah Jazz @ San Antonio Spurs | NBA TV
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