Five Utah Jazz Takeaways From Salt Lake City Summer League
Jul 11, 2024, 5:18 PM
SALT LAKE CITY – The 2024 Salt Lake City Summer League is complete as the Utah Jazz prepare to join 29 other teams heading to Las Vegas.
With six fresh faces selected over the last two NBA Drafts sharing the floor in Salt Lake City, the Jazz were able to offer a glimpse of the team’s future under Danny Ainge, Justin Zanik, and Will Hardy.
Here are five takeaways from the Jazz at the Salt Lake City Summer League before the team reopens play on Saturday.
Related: How To Watch Las Vegas Summer League
Five Jazz Takeaways From Salt Lake City Summer League
Isaiah Collier Might Contribute Early
Without question Jazz rookie Isaiah Collier was the most surprising standout from the three games in Salt Lake City.
The guard averaged 11.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and only 1.3 turnovers while shooting 48 percent from the floor, 33 percent from three, and 75 percent from the free-throw line.
While those numbers might not blow your hair back, it was Collier’s demeanor, pacing, and overall ability to process the game that was most impressive.
We’ve got Jeff Hornacek on the broadcast and buckets on the fast break 🏃💨#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/c8yob1bEBK
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) July 11, 2024
Having slid to the end of the first round after being the top-rated high school recruit, Collier could have tried to answer every criticism of him at USC during his first three games as a pro.
Instead, after a difficult start to Monday’s debut, the 19-year-old retook the floor in the second half with a newfound poise that remained with him over the next two and a half games.
While the Jazz have tried to execute the offense with a point guard by committee, Collier showed glimpses of being a true leading playmaker.
Without a natural floor general on the roster, Collier could potentially see minutes in his career if he continues to take care of the ball while setting up his teammates.
Keyonte George Looked Like Keyonte George
After being named to the All-Rookie Second Team last season, Keyonte George joined the Jazz’s Summer League roster in a bit of a no-win situation.
If he played well, that wouldn’t surprise anyone, after all, he dominated the Vegas Summer League last year.
If he played poorly, there would be concerns that George had failed to progress from his rookie season and that he may not have the upside many had hoped for.
now THAT’S how you get the people goin’#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/qQEn1Bohf6
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) July 11, 2024
What he ultimately showed is that his immense offensive upside remains intact, and it’s still at times a mixed bag.
George played in only two of the Jazz’s three games in Salt Lake City, averaging an eye-popping 30.5 points per game (more than 12 more than the next-highest scorer), but did so on 39 percent shooting from the floor and 31 percent from three, nearly identical to his inefficient rookie percentages.
Examining his performances more closely, and the results remain inconclusive.
In Monday’s opener, George scored 30 points on 5-21 shooting after a 4-10 start to the game, highlighting his large swings in shot quality and decision-making.
In Wednesday’s finale, the guard scored 31 points on 9-15 shooting, showing off his impressive three-level scoring and off-the-dribble creation.
George’s most promising sign of growth came at the free-throw line where he knocked down 90 percent of his near-comical 15.5 attempts per game.
The biggest concern was his 10 turnovers in just over 63 minutes on the court, an issue that plagued him over the second half of his rookie season.
Overall, George’s awesome offensive talent was on clear display to anyone who watched, but so were his areas of improvement.
Cody Williams Needs The G League
For anyone who hadn’t seen 10th overall pick Cody Williams play at Colorado, his performance in Salt Lake City may have been underwhelming.
The Jazz’s lottery pick averaged 5.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 26 minutes per game while shooting just 26 percent from the floor and nine percent from three.
the rook has moves 👀🕺 pic.twitter.com/Gp3LJRzu1z
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) July 10, 2024
And still, it wasn’t difficult to come away impressed by the forward’s combination of size, ballhandling, defense, and touch near the rim.
Just three months removed from his final games at Colorado, Williams production remains theoretical, and the more opportunity he gets to develop the better.
Unlike Collier who may be able to help the Jazz early in his career, Williams looks like a longer-term project, and one who will benefit from significant playing time in the G League.
Kyle Filipowski’s Game Will Change
While Collier’s game translated to the Summer League more easily than expected, Kyle Filipowski’s tools generated less production.
The former Duke Blue Devil averaged 2.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in three appearances while shooting 20 percent from the floor and missing all nine of his three-point attempts.
Filipowski was the centerpiece of everything Duke did as a sophomore, and as a result, was one of the most productive players in the country.
catch ya on the flip side 🤪 pic.twitter.com/1T1L6BpJmk
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) July 11, 2024
Now in Utah, Filipowski is getting far fewer touches, is having to make quicker reads, and is doing so in a supporting role.
Based on his readily apparent tools, (a seven-foot frame, fluid athleticism, excellent passing) and history as a shooter (35 percent on 3.1 threes per game as a sophomore), Filipowski is still a safe bet to carve out a role on an NBA team.
But to do so, he will have to find his rhythm in an auxiliary role, and he hasn’t found it yet through three games.
Shooting Is Simply The Most Blatant Skill
Throughout the pre-draft process analysts and fans nitpick every intricacy of a prospect’s game.
From their previous high school recruiting rankings to their height-to-wingspan ratio, seemingly no stone goes unturned.
And yet, when they finally take the floor in their first summer league games, they’re judged largely on whether or not they made shots, and the rest of those strengths and weaknesses that were poured over with a fine-tooth comb go overlooked.
It’s not bad analysis, as the ultimate goal in basketball is to put the ball in the hoop more often than your opponent. But, it’s a more simplistic approach than the pre-draft process tends to foster.
No hesitation on the pull up 3 from Isaiah Collier. pic.twitter.com/VsMpMsLpsJ
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) July 9, 2024
Taylor Hendricks had a bad first game, due in part to his 3-9 shooting performance, including 1-5 from three.
Hendricks followed it up with a strong performance in game three, shooting 6-10 from the floor, including 4-6 from downtown.
Isaiah Collier had a better Salt Lake City Summer League than Kyle Filipowski.
Collier made shots, Filipowski didn’t.
Keyonte George’s game three was better than game one. In game three, he made shots, in game one, he missed.
In general, it’s once NBA players begin to make shots consistently that we start to look at the rest of their game through a critical lens.
But, due to the rapid amount of shooting data that pours in during the summer league, it’s easy to let those makes and misses overshadow the other tools that placed these players on the NBA radar in the first place.
Filipowksi’s rebounding and steals numbers are easily missed due to his 0-9 three-point shooting performance.
Williams defense goes unnoticed when his shot is getting blocked on the other end.
Again, it’s not bad analysis as players who can’t shoot rarely make it in the NBA. But, don’t let a few low-efficiency outings from Jazz players cloud the rest of their performance at summer league.
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Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops or on Instagram @BensHoops.
