The Utah Jazz defeated the San Antonio Spurs 119-109 on Monday night at Delta Center.
Though it was a meaningless preseason game, Isaiah Collier made coach Will Hardy's job a little bit tougher as the regular season inches closer.
Collier finished with 11 points, three rebounds, five assists and five steals in 22 minutes on Monday. That was more than any teammate; Keyonte George and Ace Bailey each had three steals.
Why Collier's five steals stick out (other than an eye-opener in the box score) is where the steals came from. Collier's defense came in bunches, and it helped fuel the run that put the game away for Utah.
It also came in the third quarter, which the Jazz dominated. Utah outscored San Antonio 31-17. Rookie Darryn Peterson had himself a quarter, and Collier added a 3-pointer that kept the Spurs from clawing their way back into the game.
A backup point guard who can be a pest on defense and hit timely shots is one the starters can trust, preparing for an intense closing period.
The question is where that fits in the 2026-27 rotation.
The backcourt looks pretty settled for now. Hardy has paired George and Peterson in the starting lineup in all three preseason games. The Jazz just gave George a hefty, multi-year contract extension. Peterson, the No. 2 pick in the 2026 NBA draft, followed up his 23-point effort in the second preseason game with 14 points and 5 assists on Monday.
The second unit will consist of Bailey, who is a good defender in his own right, Brice Sensabaugh, who scored 11 points in 15 minutes, and Svi Mykhailiuk, another back-pocket option at the wing.
While the starters rest, Collier can step in to change the pace of the game, putting high-ball pressure on opposing guards who can knock down threes.
That matters on a team still sifting through its identity. The Jazz have spent much of the last few seasons trying to find a lineup that consistently works on defense.
This single game won't change that overnight, but it shows one way to build up a second unit with grit.
They still have one more preseason game. Five steals against a Spurs team that has lost three straight games will not be a season-long trend. Collier will have to prove he can do it when the games matter, when teams are playing their best guys.
With one preseason game remaining, Hardy's decision doesn't need to be made yet. Collier has handed him something to think about going forward, and the spot behind George is looking like a competition that Collier is actively winning.