Jazz's Isaiah Collier Sounds Off on Disrespectful Snub

The Utah Jazz lost to the Houston Rockets on Thursday night, 121-110, in Salt Lake City. The loss marked the fourth straight and the 14th in the month of March as the Jazz continue to sit in last place in the Western Conference. 

It is a disappointing time for the Jazz, but one bright spot has been rookie guard Isaiah Collier. On Thursday, Collier played well once agan, scoring 16 points with five assists on 7-of-12 fom the field in 30 minutes. 

For the year, the former USC star has played in 66 games and is averaging 8.2 points with 6.1 assists and 3.3 rebounds after being selected No. 29 overall in the 2024 NBA Draft. 

Yet, somehow, Collier was not chosen to be part of the Rising Stars team during the NBA All-Star Weekend in February in a move that certainly raised eyebrows. 

It was a surprising choice to leave Collier off the team, and the Jazz guard spoke about it with Chris Hayne in an exclusive. 

“The only thing I accepted is, to be honest, it was looked over,” Collier said. “I can’t dwell on it, feel bad for myself about it. I came back and won Rookie of the Month that month.”

In February, Collier averaged 11.5 points with 9.5 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game en route to the Western Conference Rookie of the Month award. 

Collier added that it gave him even more motivation, and the big month of February shows that fact. 

“You gotta get better regardless. I think it helped me even more, fuel to the fire, to be honest,” Collier concluded. 

The 2025 Rising Stars team featured 21 players from the NBA and seven G League players. The list included Jazz guard Keyonte George, who was the only Utah player on the list. 

Orlando Magic guard Tristan da Silva, Phoenix Suns guard Ryan Dunn, and Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis are a couple of players who have lower averages on the year than Collier, all of whom made the Rising Stars team. 

For now, Collier is trying not to dwell too much on the past, but rather use the exclusion as more motivation going forward. In his last 10 games, he has double-digits in points in six of those, including a 21-point performance on March 25 in the loss to the Memphis Grizzlies and three 16-point games during that span.