The J-Notes
Fansided

Ranking every season in Utah Jazz franchise history

By James Piercey

Utah Jazz. (JEFF HAYNES/AFP via Getty Images)
Utah Jazz. (JEFF HAYNES/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Utah Jazz
Darrell Griffith, Utah Jazz (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

1980-81 Utah Jazz record: 28-54, missed playoffs

Another late-70s / early-80s Utah Jazz team, another year of Adrian Dantley and Darrell Griffith not getting enough help.

Such was the story of this era of Utah Jazz basketball. The dynamic duo couldn’t even get a double digit scoring average from a teammate, as the Jazz’s third leading scorer through 1980-81 was Ben Poquette with 9.5 points per game. Perhaps the 25-year old combo big could have contributed more if not for the 4.2 fouls per game that kept him frequently off the floor.

This would be the Jazz’s first season since 1974-75 without Maravich manning the point. We’d like to suggest that this was a major factor in their 28 win total, however, that actually marked a 4 win improvement over the year before.

The Utah Jazz have a rich history of success in the NBA, but boy, were the early years rough.