Utah Jazz Player Ranks: Nos. 15-11

12. Bryce Cotton

Apr 13, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz guard Bryce Cotton (8) dribbles the ball during the second half against the Dallas Mavericks at EnergySolutions Arena. The Jazz won 109-92. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

Bryce Cotton may be the most exciting player to watch on our list to this point. The-23 year-old played four years of basketball at Providence and averaged 21.8 points, 5.9 assists, 3.5 rebounds and one steal per game as a senior. ESPN listed Cotton listed as their 49th draft prospect. People loved Cotton’s scoring ability. In college, he showed he could score from anywhere on the floor and was able to get to the hoop despite his small stature. He also made some noise during the pre-draft process by posting a 46-inch vertical.

Still, Cotton went undrafted when teams worried about his small size. Although his name wasn’t called on draft night, the San Antonio Spurs saw his potential. After playing for the team’s summer league outfit, he eventually found his way to their D-League affiliate where he played 34 games.

Cotton put up some insane numbers in the D-League averaging 22.4 points, 4.68 assists, 4.7 rebounds, 4.7 free throw attempts and 1.26 steals. Bryce also posted fantastic shooting numbers going 47.3 percent from the field, 45.2 percent from three, and 90.0 percent from the free throw line.

On February 24th, 2015, the Utah Jazz signed Bryce Cotton. He appeared in 15 games with the team before the season was over. The Jazz liked what they saw and on March 6th, they signed him to a non-guaranteed deal for 2015-2016.

With his hops and the ability to push the floor, Cotton brings energy to the court despite his size. He continues to score in a multitude of ways. In summer league this year, Cotton averaged 5.9 trips to the free throw line per game. He only missed two of his 47 free throw shots. Bryce has only hit 15 of this 43 threes in a NBA setting, but he hit 45.2 percent of his 199 threes in the D-League.

While scoring may be his strength, passing is not. Currently Bryce looks to score when he has the ball in his hands. Now, I am not saying he is a gunner like Nick Young, because he does not force shots often. He is a willing passer, they just don’t turn into assists. Heading into next season, he needs to work on becoming a true point guard that can facilitate the offense.

The biggest limitation on Cotton’s game is one that will not be easy to improve. Bryce is listed at six-foot-one and 165 lbs–those numbers are generous. So even though his height is listed as the same as Trey’s, Burke still has 20 lbs on Cotton. People often reference Ty Lawson as a PG who has success with similar height limitations, but Lawson weighs 195 lbs. Even Nate Robinson has 15 lbs on Bryce.

This small frame of Cotton’s really limits any upside he has as a defender. Most point guards in the league will push him around. Cotton will have to learn how to use his speed to his advantage to cause some turnovers.

These defensive limitations are what prevent Cotton from being the starter this year with Exum hurt. Snyder seems to really want to have his starters play really good defense. Offensively though, Cotton may be the most efficient PG on the Utah Jazz. I personally think that Cotton is on par with Burke as far as talent goes, but I think Cotton will be better suited as a “change of pace” player.

Having Cotton come off the bench when the team needs a scoring punch is a luxury for this defensive minded team. Not many players on this roster can provide as much of a spark as Cotton can. Utah Jazz fans seem to agree–

Justin is right. He does have incredible hops–

Next: Player No. 11