Ranking the Top 10 NBA Draft wins in Utah Jazz history
By Ryan Aston
8) Bryon Russell at No. 45 (1993)
Coming out of Long Beach State, Bryon Russell showed potential as a defender at the next level. But when the Jazz drafted him in the second-round, they probably weren’t expecting him to become one of the game’s OG Three-and-D specialists.
Nevertheless, that’s what he developed into over the course of a career that spanned 13 seasons.
After a strong rookie campaign, Russell struggled to see the floor in years two and three. However, his run in the 1996 NBA Playoffs helped Russell solidify himself as an integral piece of a legit championship contender.
He would go on to start 366 games for Utah over the course of nine seasons, averaging 9.4 points, nearly four rebounds and 1.2 steals per contest as a Jazzman. Russell also had a reputation for playing lock-down defense on some of the game’s best scorers during that time.
Unfortunately, he’s better remembered for this than any of the good things he did for the Jazz —
Next: No. 7