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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Darrell Griffith, Utah Jazz
24 MAR 1980: UCLA guard Michael Holton (14) and Louisville guard Darrell Griffith (35) during the NCAA Men’s National Basketball Final Four championship game held at the Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, IN. Louisville defeated UCLA 59-54 for the championship. Griffith was named MVP for the tournament. Photo by Rich Clarkson/NCAA Photos via Getty Images /

Before Donovan Mitchell came to play, another Louisville Cardinals guard slam-dunked his way into the hearts of Utah Jazz fans. I’m talking about the Golden Griff, Dr. Dunkenstein in the flesh, Darrell Griffith.

While there are some similarities between the two, Griffith entered the league with a lot more juice than Utah’s current alpha. He led the Cards to the 1980 NCAA championship, was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player, and won the John R. Wooden Award, which honors college hoops’ best baller.

As a result, he went No. 2 overall in the draft.

For the next five years, he and Adrian Dantley combined to form one of the hottest scoring duos of the ’80s. Griffith averaged 21 points per contest over that span and, by year four, had added one of the league’s more dependable 3-point shots, knocking down 36 percent of his three attempts per game.

Unfortunately, a stress fracture in his foot cost him the entirety of the 1985-86 season. That injury, combined with knee problems and the emergence of Stockton-to-Malone, really took the wind out of his sails as a player.

Still, he remains an important player in the annals of Jazz lore.

Next: No. 10