The Utah Jazz had a major standout in the backcourt this season with the emergence of rookie Isaiah Collier, who elevated from being in and out of the G League from the beginning of the year to becoming a nightly starter in the rotation by the middle of the 2024-25 campaign.
It was an impressive showing all around from Collier, who averaged 8.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 6.3 assists through 71 games, also breaking John Stockton's franchise rookie assist record for the Jazz in the process.
Though, with all rookie seasons transitioning to the next level, there's bound to be some adjustments and development to make across the year, and Collier is no different. The 20-year-old from USC recently sounded off on what he felt the biggest change he noticed between college and the NBA, where he focused on one major aspect he saw stand out: pace.
"I'd say the speed of the game," Collier said during his end-of-season presser. "It's very fast. You've got to be in a different type of shape to be able to play in the NBA. I felt like I was in good shape coming in, got better over time as I played more minutes. So, the pace."
Even for a player like Collier, who plays at a rapid tempo and fast pace as he leads on the offensive end, he felt as though the speed of the NBA play is the biggest adjustment he had to make to his game. Impressive.
But in a league with bigger, faster, stronger athletes than the college game, it's not a shock to see so many young players, including Collier, note the pace of play as a big change. The NBA is also entering a time where quick, efficient possessions are becoming increasingly important for the top teams in the league, so it's hard to see the speed slowing down any time soon.
Thankfully, for a young, fast-tempo player like Collier, he's made clear he can adapt, adjust, and develop quickly across a season, as he presented during his most recent rookie campaign. And for a lead playmaker and initiator of the Jazz's offense, that can only mean good things moving forward.
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The Boston Celtics have been very busy this offseason with the moves that they have made. They have already traded two starters to other teams in an effort to get under the second apron of the luxury tax. Brad Stevens made it clear that it was his number-one goal this offseason. It's not a goal he has achieved yet, as they are still around $20 million over the second apron. Because of that, it seems they have been trying to reroute Anfernee Simons after getting him back in the trade for Jrue Holiday. It doesn't look like that is imminent, though. More news: Former Celtics Forward Claps Back at NBA All-Star on Social Media After Random Troll Boston is still trying to find a new home for him, but they aren't in any rush to do so. According to Heavy Sports, the Celtics are keeping their eyes open for a trade partner, but aren't going to accept a bad deal just to part ways with him. “You never know, but the team they have now is probably the team they’ll start the year with,” one GM said. “They could get themselves involved in some blockbuster. But they’re not in a hurry to make that move (on Simons).” Simons is a good player and a good fit for the Celtics when it comes to on-court production. He is a great 3-point shooter who can get hot any night from beyond the arc. For a team that launches more 3-pointers than any other team in the NBA, Simons would be a perfect fit. He is someone who doesn't need the ball in his hands to score. More news: Celtics Front Office Slammed for ‘Gap Year’ Planning Boston is hoping to shed Simons' salary, even though it is an expiring deal. If they can't, they'll have to find some other players to part ways with in order to get under the second apron. Simons would certainly help the Celtics stay as contenders in the 2026-27 season, if he's still on the roster. Stevens will make that decision within the next couple of weeks. This past season with the Trail Blazers, Simons averaged 19.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game. He shot 42.6 percent from the field and 36.3 percent from beyond the 3-point line. More news: Former Celtics Champ Laps Kyrie Irving, Chris Bosh in Latest NBA Top 100 List For more news and notes on the Boston Celtics, visit Boston Celtics on SI.
Matt LaFleur is earning the ire of several of his Green Bay Packers players early in training camp. On Tuesday, LaFleur punished offensive tackle Rasheed Walker for his altercation with defensive end Kingsley Enagbare. However, the most interesting interaction of the day came between LaFleur and tight end Tucker Kraft. Per Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, LaFleur called out Kraft for two questionable fumbles during the first week of practice. Both "fumbles" came after the play was over or when the ball fell out of bounds. "Certainly, we all know what kind of player Tucker Kraft is and can be," LaFleur said. "He can’t allow Evan Williams to reach around and punch a ball out, so it is challenging everybody and hopefully that makes us that much better.” The third-year tight end took issue with LaFleur calling him out in front of the media and blamed the coaching staff for implementing practice rules that made it easy for offensive players to fumble. "I’d say a lot of the times — there’s certain rules you play with in practice, like just letting the defense punch repeatedly," Kraft said. "You’re not allowed to stiff-arm. I guess all I have are excuses. Yes, I am working on not fumbling the ball in practice." Schneidman said Kraft answered the question with a tone of sarcasm. Kraft was frustrated that he couldn't defend the ball by stiff-arming a defender trying to poke the ball from his undefended arm. Kraft acknowledged that during practice, he has to "play by the rules" LaFleur makes and is trying to work on having a "yes sir, no sir" attitude with his head coach. He then made a vague reference about a "bus fine" and accused LaFleur of throwing him under the bus in front of the media. Schneidman believes the tight end might actually be calling for Green Bay to fine LaFleur after his discouraging quote Tuesday morning. "So yes, the Packers’ third-year tight end might be calling for his head coach to be fined — not by the league, of course, but by the team — for what he perceived as throwing him under the bus," Schneidman wrote. "Is Kraft being serious about fining LaFleur? "Probably not. Is he peeved LaFleur called him out? It sure seems like it." LaFleur might do better to have a conversation with Kraft before dragging his name into news conferences with reporters. It's clear Tucker doesn't see eye-to-eye with LaFleur about fumbles. This is a good reminder to those getting overly excited or nervous reading practice reports that what happens at practice should be taken with a grain of salt. Most likely, Tucker is going to be fine.
There have been a couple of different theories floated about why the Las Vegas Raiders made the shocking decision to cut star defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, but head coach Pete Carroll has no interest in sharing the real motive. The Raiders released Wilkins on Thursday, which was barely a year after they signed him to a four-year, $110M contract in free agency. Initial reports suggested Wilkins and the team were at odds over how the 29-year-old's foot injury was being handled, but the story has since taken a bizarre turn. ESPN's Adam Schefter said on Monday that there was an incident between Wilkins and a teammate in the locker room that Wilkins viewed as playful, but his teammate did not take it that way. Tashan Reed of The Athletic reported that the incident took place in a meeting room at the Raiders' facility last week and was investigated by the team's human resources department. On Tuesday, a reporter asked Carroll about the alleged incident. The 73-year-old coach refused to get into it. "I have no comment to make,” Carroll said, via The Athletic. “We made a decision on what we’re doing, and we’re moving with it. We’ll see how that all unveils itself in time.” The last part of Carroll's comment is interesting. Carroll may have been saying time will tell how the decision to cut Wilkins will turn out for the Raiders, or he may have been insinuating that more information will come out at some point. Raiders defensive tackle Adam Nelson was also asked about Wilkins on Tuesday. Nelson responded by encouraging people to seek therapy if they are struggling with something in their life. Wilkins had 17 total tackles and a pair of sacks in five games with the Raiders before he suffered his season-ending foot injury.
It certainly seems like the Boston Red Sox are putting their best foot forward to acquire one of the top starting pitchers potentially on the trade block. The Red Sox kicked off a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins on Monday. It wasn't a great night for Boston full of wild weather, a last-second rain delay, and another walk-off loss. The timing of the series certainly is interesting. The series will end on Wednesday and then Boston will have a day off on Thursday which also is the day of the 2025 Major League Baseball trade deadline. Boston is getting some face time with the Twins right now and it sounds like the Red Sox are targeting one of the club's All-Stars. The Athletic's Jim Bowen reported a handful of teams are calling Minnesota at an "annoying level" for ace Joe Ryan. "The Red Sox, (New York Yankees), (Toronto Blue Jays), (Philadelphia Phillies), and (Seattle Mariners) are speed dialing the Twins at an annoying level with continued interest in Joe Ryan, basically their whole bullpen, Willi Castro and Harrison Bader," Bowden said. "Twins could end up being the headliner at the deadline as talks heat up according to sources." Ryan has a 2.82 ERA this season across 121 1/3 innings pitched. On top of this, Ryan still has two more seasons of arbitration-eligibility. He's the type of pitcher who could help Boston now and into the future. That's why he's a perfect fit, but he also would cost an arm and a leg, especially with all of the suitors for him.
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