The J-Notes
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Utah Jazz: Counting down the team’s Top 15 all-time draft picks

By Ryan Aston

Darrell Griffith of the Utah Jazz (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
Darrell Griffith of the Utah Jazz (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /
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Bryon Russell, Utah Jazz
SALT LAKE CITY, UNITED STATES: Bryon Russell (L) of the Utah Jazz takes Glen Rice (C) of the Los Angeles Lakers off a Greg Ostertag pick during the first quarter of the Jazz – Lakers game 17 April 1999 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo credit: GEORGE FREY/AFP/Getty Images) /

118. . Wing. Long Beach St. 49ers, 1993 (No. 45 overall). Bryon Russell. 12. player

Coming out of Long Beach State as a second-round guy, Bryon Russell was little more than a defensive prospect from a mid-major school. After a bumpy start, however, Russell developed into one of the Association’s OG 3-and-D specialists and a true weapon on both sides of the ball.

After a solid rookie season, he struggled to get minutes in years two and three. But his run during the 1996 NBA Playoffs helped Russell propel himself into a spot as an integral piece of a legit championship contender.

He went on to start 366 games for the Jazz over the course of nine seasons, averaging 9.4 points, nearly four rebounds, and 1.2 steals per contest. He also knocked down 37 percent of his triples.

All the while, he earned a reputation for playing lock-down defense on some of the game’s best scorers. Unfortunately, he’s better remembered for getting torched (shoved?) by His Airness than any of the good things he did for the Jazz:

Next: No. 11