Utah Jazz NBA Draft History

Virtually every team has made some amazing picks in the NBA drafts as well as picking some they wish they hadn’t. Here is the history of the Jazz’ picks as well as some of the players they passed up in the process.

2009

#20 – Eric Maynor
#30 – Goran Sutton – Ahead of Wesley Matthews

2008

#23 – Kosta Koufos – Ahead of Chris Douglas-Roberts, & George Hill

2007

#25 – Morris Almond – Ahead of Aaron Brooks & Carl Landry
#38 – Kyrylo Fesenko – Ahead of Marc Gasol

2006

#14 – Ronnie Brewer – Ahead of Rajon Rondo
#46 – Dee Brown – Ahead of Paul Millsap and Jose Juan Barea
#47 – Paul Millsap – One of the best 2nd round picks ever…in my opinion

2005

#3 – Deron Williams – Maybe ahead of Chris Paul…I still like DWill but someone could make this argument
#34 – CJ Miles – Ahead of Monta Ellis & Marcin Gortat

2004

#14 – Kris Humphries – Ahead of Al Jefferson
#16 – Kirk Snyder – Ahead of Josh Smith, Jameer Nelson
#21 -Pavel Podkolzine (traded on draft day to Dallas) – Ahead of JR Smith, Kevin Martin, Anderson Varejao, Trevor Ariza

2003

#19 – Sasha Pavolivic – Ahead of Boris Diaw, Travis Outlaw, Kendrick Perkins, Leandro Barbosa, Josh Howard
#47 – Mo Williams

2002

#18 – Curtis Borchardt – Ahead of Tayshaun Prince, Carlos Boozer & Udonis Haslem

2001

#24 – Raul Lopez – Ahead of Gerald Wallace, Samuel Dalembert, Tony Parker, Gilbert Arenas, Mehmet Okur
#53 – Jarron Collins – Ahead of a dead tree stump

2000

#23 – DeShawn Stevenson – Ahead of Michael Redd

1999

#19 – Quincy Lewis – Ahead of Jeff Foster
#24 – Andrei Kirilenko – Ahead of Manu Ginobili
#28 – Scott Padgett – Ahead of Manu Ginobili
#58 – Eddie Lucas – Ahead of Raja Bell, Chris Andersen

1998

#29 – Nazr Mohammed – Ahead of Rashard Lewis, Rafer Alston
#58 – Torraye Braggs – Ahead of Brad Miller, Earl Boykins, Mike James and Anthony Carter

1997

#27 – Jacque Vaughn – Ahead of Stephen Jackson
#57 – Nate Erdmann

1996

#25 – Martin Muursepp – Ahead of Malik Rose
#54 – Shandon Anderson – Ahead of Ben Wallace

1995

#28 – Greg Ostertag

1994

#47 – Jamie Watson

1993

#18 – Luther Wright – Ahead of Sam Cassell and Nick Van Excel
#45 – Bryon Russell

1992

The Jazz traded their pick in ’92 before the draft

1991

#21 – Eric Murdock
#48 – Isaac Austin – Ahead of David Benoit and John Crotty (who made it to the Jazz in any case)

1990

#33 – Walter Palmer – Ahead of Antonio Davis and Cedric Ceballos

1989

#21 Theodore “Blue” Edwards – Ahead of Vlade Divac and Clifford Robinson
#48 – Junie Lewis

1988

#17 – Eric Leckner – Ahead of Rod Strickland
#42 – Jeff Moe – Ahead of Vernon Maxwell, Steve Kerr, and Anthony Mason
#67 – Ricky Grace – Ahead of Avery Johnson

1987

#15 – Jose Ortiz – Ahead of Mark Jackson and Reggie Lewis
#68 – Billy Donovan

1986

#15 – Dell Curry
#61 – John Shasky
#84 – Marty Embry
#107 – Kerry Boagni
#130 – Chuck Everson
#153 – Mark Mitchell

1985

#13 – Karl Malone
#37 – Carey Scurry – Ahead of Michael Adams, Arvydas Sabonis, and Spud Webb

1984

#16 – John Stockton

1983

#7 Thurl Bailey – Ahead of Dale Ellis, Jeff Malone, Derek Harper, Clyde Drexler and Doc Rivers
#54 Bobby Hansen

1979

The reason why this year is significant is because the (New Orleans) Jazz traded for Gail Goodrich who had been playing for the Lakers. To trade for him the Jazz had to give up a couple draft picks. One of those draft picks ended up being the Top Pick…with which the Lakers selected Magic Johnson. I can only speculate how the Jazz history would have played out with Magic at the helm. Would they have become contenders? I think, probably. Would Larry H. Miller have purchased half the Jazz in 1984 (and the other half in 1985) and continued the franchise. Who knows? Would the Jazz have ended up w/ similar draft picks and taken Karl Malone and John Stockton in 1984 and 1985? Can you imagine Magic Johnson, John Stockton, and Karl Malone?? I think everyone would agree that the Jazz as we know them would have been forever different with Magic Johnson leading the way.

And that’s about as far back as I’m going to go…an interesting history there. The Jazz have only had 2 picks better than #7 in the last 25 years or so. They took Deron Williams with the #3 in 2005 and Thurl Bailey with the #7 in 1983. The Jazz could end up getting very lucky and getting another top 10 pick this summer as we own the New York Knicks pick and the Knicks project to do poorly this season. The odds of that pick becoming a top 3 pick are unlikely since the Knicks have played ok through the half season played so far.