Utah Jazz media day odds and ends: 2026

Media day always helps identify the season’s biggest storylines, but the concentration of information often allows smaller details to slip through the cracks.

With that in mind, here are a few moments casual observers may have missed.

Related: Top takeaways from Utah Jazz Media Day

First impressions of Darryn Peterson, the next potential breakout player, and more! 🎵

The biggest media day takeaways from @CHoltSports.https://t.co/hEjCe7SgiW

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) September 29, 2026

Utah Jazz media day odds and ends

Isaiah Collier embraces discomfort

Isaiah Collier hopes an uncomfortable summer will pay dividends as he enters his third NBA season.

President of Basketball Operations Austin Ainge identified Collier as the Jazz’s best ball-handler, even in a suddenly crowded backcourt.

“The whole summer was definitely just being uncomfortable, honestly,” Collier said. “I feel like that brought peace to me.”

Players talk a lot about improving every offseason, but one of the biggest developments from young players seems to be an honest recognition of who they are in the NBA, and how they can get better at their specific thing.

Isaiah Collier said that happened for him this summer.

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) September 28, 2026

Collier spent much of the summer training with Phil Handy, working to improve his game ahead of what could be a pivotal season for his future.

“Phil was working out three times a day. That’s what I pretty much did every single day,” Collier added.

Collier led the Jazz with 7.2 assists per game last season, but he still needs to expand the rest of his offensive game to secure a full-time role in coach Will Hardy’s rotation.

Keyonte George credited his improved physique for his breakout third season, and Collier hopes to follow a similar path, while also upping his shooting percentages.

“It started with getting in the best shape I could possibly get in,” Collier said. “I feel like shooting was definitely huge.”

Mo Bamba owns a card shop

Reserve center Mo Bamba delivered one of media day’s most notable comments when he compared rookie Darryn Peterson to Kawhi Leonard. Off the court, however, his newest venture may be more niche.

Bamba opened Mo Bamba Cards & Collectibles in Austin, Texas, during the summer. The shop gives collectors a place to buy, sell, and trade cards and memorabilia.

 

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A post shared by Mo Bamba Collects (@mobambacollects)

“The most heartwarming thing to me about the hobby is how an eight-year-old and a 50-year-old have something in common,” Bamba said of his new venture. “[There are] not many things that they have in common, but it’s just one of those things that is just timeless.”

Bamba is entering his ninth NBA season and his second with the Jazz, having played two games for the team last year.

Lauri Markkanen isn’t changing his leadership style

With Jaren Jackson Jr. and Keyonte George now signed to long-term deals, questions remain about who will lead the Jazz on and off the court.

Jackson and George are vocal leaders, while Lauri Markkanen has long preferred a quieter approach.

Markkanen understands the Jazz will need him to maintain his recent level of play, but he has no plans to change the way he leads.

“Year 10, it sounds different. I feel older, but there’s always excitement.”

Lauri Markkanen on entering his fifth season in Utah, acknowledges that expectations are high for the roster. #takenote pic.twitter.com/EXlmcPjqLz

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) September 28, 2026

“I don’t know if I’m going to be demanding — that’s not my personality, but I acknowledge my situation with the team and know what’s expected out of it,” Markkanen said.

Markkanen led Utah in scoring last season at more than 26 points per game. This season, however, he will share touches with a deeper and more talented roster.

Some of the league’s best players have led by example in recent history, notably Tim Duncan and Kawhi Leonard, but Markkanen needs to make sure he doesn’t get overshadowed on the court due to his preference for keeping a low profile.

Another Aussie in Utah

Josh Green is the latest Australian player to land in Utah.

The state has maintained one of basketball’s strongest ties to Australia during the past two decades, and that connection shows no signs of slowing.

Former University of Utah coach Rick Majerus began recruiting in Australia around the turn of the century, helping bring Andrew Bogut and Luke Neville to Salt Lake City in the early 2000s.

In 2014, the Jazz selected Australian guard Dante Exum with the fifth overall pick in the NBA Draft and signed fellow countryman Joe Ingles that same summer to help mentor him.

Josh Green takes the podium and notes that there’s a long history of Australian players who have come through Utah.

Said he’s still trying to get settled. #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/WdJJ8qWSlG

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) September 28, 2026

Patty Mills helped continue the Utah-Australia pipeline when he signed with the Jazz in 2024, and the organization strengthened that connection again by acquiring Green earlier this summer.

“I played with both Patty, Joe, and Dante on the Australian team, so there is a connection there,” Green said.

The Jazz will officially open training camp Tuesday with their first practice. The team will travels to Boulder, Colorado, to face the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, Oct. 4 to open the preseason.