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1997-98 NOTES
Russell played
in all 82 games for the Jazz and was used primarily in a reserve role,
making just seven starts and starting 81 games the previous season. He
provided scoring punch off the bench, averaging 9.0 ppg to rank fourth
on the team even though he played over 300 minutes less than the previous
season. Russell also contributed 4.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.10 steals
in his 27.1 minutes per game, ranking fourth on the team in both rebounds
and steals. He shot .430 from the field, .766 from the foul line and .341
from three-point range, where his 73 treys topped the team. He scored in
double figures 30 times and twice tallied a season-high 21 points, at Toronto
on March 3 and at Phoenix on April 17. He grabbed a season-high nine rebounds
at Charlotte on March 18. Russell was Utah's third-leading scorer in the
playoffs, averaging 11.0 points per game as he started 13 games and came
off the bench in seven others. He ranked second on the team with 4.7 rebounds
per game and third with 1.05 steals per game, and he led the club with
23 three-pointers. He started all six games of the NBA Finals against Chicago,
averaging 8.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.17 steals per game and leading
the team with six treys.
1996-97 NOTES
Russell enjoyed
a breakout season in 1996-97, his fourth year with the Jazz. He started
81 games (missing Jan. 17 at Vancouver becasue of bruised right knee) and
averaged 10.8 ppg, more than double his previous season-high. He also averaged
4.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.59 steals in 31.2 minutes per game, sinking
a franchise-record 108 three-pointers and shooting .409 from three-point
range to rank 13th in the NBA. He finished fourth on the team in scoring,
third in rebounding and second in steals. He scored a career-high 23 points
in a 99-94 victory over Portland on Dec. 26, one of 49 double-digit scoring
performances. He hauled down a career-high 13 rebounds in an 88-87 win
at Dallas on Nov. 16, handed out a career-high six assists in a 113-100
victory at Boston on March 19 and tied his career-high with five steals
in a 114-100 triumph over Golden State on April 6. Russell started all
20 playoff games for Utah, averaging 12.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.35 assists
and 1.05 steals while nailing a team-high 36 three-pointers. He scored
17 points, sinking five three-pointers, in Game 6 of the NBA Finals against
the Chicago Bulls.
1995-96 NOTES
Russell's role
continued to diminish in his third season with Utah. He played just 577
minutes in 59 games, both career lows, sitting out 23 games as a DNP-CD.
His averages of 2.9 points and 1.5 rebounds per game also were career lows,
as was his .394 field goal percentage. Russell started nine games early
in the season, averaging 7.6 ppg and shooting 24-for-40 for .600 during
that stretch. He sank 6-for-13 for .462 from three-point range in that
span and netted a career-high 19 points at Houston on Nov. 30. He also
finished on a strong note, averaging 8.5 ppg on 50 percent shooting and
netting 4-for-5 on treys and 9-for-10 from the line in the final three
games of the regular season. He also grabbed a career-high nine rebounds
at Vancouver on April 18. He played well in the playoffs, ranking as Utah's
fourth-leading scorer and top scorer off the bench at 9.6 ppg while averaging
25.5 mpg in 18 games. His shooting improved dramatically to .468, and he
posted playoff career highs of 24 points and 10 rebounds in Game 3 of the
Western Conference Finals against Seattle.
1994-95 NOTES
In his second
year in the NBA, Russell started 15 games for the Utah Jazz but sat out
20 others because of the coach's decision. Overall, he averaged 4.5 points
and 2.2 rebounds in 13.7 minutes per outing. Most of his minutes came as
a starter early in the campaign, before David Benoit established himself
as the starter at small forward and before Adam Keefe came on as a solid
backup at the position. Russell set a career high with 17 points against
the Milwaukee Bucks on January 3. His other season highs included 9 rebounds,
4 assists, and 5 steals. He shot .437 from the floor, .295 from three-point
range, and .667 from the free-throw line. In the Jazz's first-round loss
to the Houston Rockets, Russell saw action in two of the five games and
hit 4 of 7 shots.
1993-94 NOTES
Selected by
the Utah Jazz with the 45th pick of the 1993 NBA Draft, little-known Bryon
Russell from Long Beach State University proved to be one of the league's
most pleasant rookie surprises. Not only did Russell make Utah's opening-day
roster, but he also became a major contributor to a veteran team. As a
senior at Long Beach State, Russell had averaged 13.2 points and a team-leading
6.7 rebounds. He was named to the 1993 Big West Conference All-Tournament
Team after scoring 20 points against Cal State-Fullerton, 12 against the
University of Nevada-Las Vegas, and 16 in the finals against New Mexico
State University. A hustling, 6-foot-7 forward, Russell grabbed a spot
in Utah's starting lineup when David Benoit went down early in the year
with a hamstring injury. Russell performed so well that Coach Jerry Sloan
kept him as a starter even when Benoit returned. For the season, Russell
logged 48 starts in 67 appearances and averaged 5.0 points and 2.7 rebounds
in 16.7 minutes per game. In February he participated in the inaugural
Rookie Game at the NBA All-Star Weekend in Minneapolis, scoring 7 points
in 15 minutes. Russell tallied a season-high 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting
against the Philadelphia 76ers on November 19, and he notched his rebounding
high with 9 boards against the Los Angeles Clippers on February 19. |
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