SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz have announced that rookie Isaiah Collier will be sidelined due to a hamstring injury and will be re-evaluated in 10 days.
Collier missed the team’s regular-season opener, a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.
The injury occurred on October 12 during a preseason game against the San Antonio Spurs, where Collier was making his first start in place of the injured Keyonte George.
“Every opportunity that a young player gets to take the court allows them to experience things they can’t in practice or even preseason games,” said Jazz coach Will Hardy, reflecting on Collier’s absence.
The earliest Collier could return is November 2, when the Jazz face the Denver Nuggets.
In the preseason, Collier averaged 4.0 points and 4.3 assists, but struggled with shooting, hitting only 26 percent from the field and 20 percent from beyond the arc in his initial four games.
A highly touted prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, Collier had a mixed freshman season at USC, averaging 16.3 points, 4.3 assists, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.5 steals over 27 games.
Before his college career, Collier earned numerous accolades, including being named the Naismith Boys High School Player of the Year, Gatorade Georgia Player of the Year, MaxPreps Player of the Year, a McDonald’s All-American, and co-MVP of the McDonald’s All-American game.
