And he didn’t disappoint<\/a>, averaging 13.8 points, 4.2 boards, and 1.8 assists for the season, with 61 starts in his 72 games played.<\/p>\nHe had 23 games of 17 points or more, including several 30-plus point outings, and has put together a historic rookie season for the Utah Jazz in the process. His future is bright.<\/p>\n
#3 – Karl Malone, 1985-86: Third in ROY voting, All-Rookie Team*<\/p>\n
While the Mailman is the best player in Jazz franchise history that makes this list, his rookie year wasn’t the best the Jazz have seen.<\/p>\n
Averaging 14.9 points and 8.9 rebounds as a rookie, while proving to be a load for opposing forwards on the block, Malone’s potential was on display, and he would soon become the player that opponents feared.<\/p>\n
As a bridge between the old and new, Malone took the scrappy Jazz into their most successful era.<\/p>\n
#2 – Darrell Griffith, 1980-81: Rookie of the Year, All-Rookie Team*<\/p>\n
“Dr. Dunkenstein” exploded on the scene in Utah years before the time of Stockton to Malone. Griffith could slash to the basket and score from midrange, as well as throw down fast-break dunks. <\/p>\n
Averaging 20.6 points, 3.6 boards, 2.4 assists, and 1.3 steals a night in his debut season, Griffith was the right pick at the right time and helped take pressure off franchise star Adrian Dantley.<\/p>\n
By the end of his prime years, the Jazz had moved from losing to winning, with his contributions a big reason why.<\/p>\n
#1 – Donovan Mitchell, 2017-18: Runner-up in ROY voting, All-Rookie First Team<\/p>\n
In a draft where so many guards were taken in the lottery, Mitchell stood out above them all, becoming a household name in a season where he averaged 20.5 points, 3.7 boards, and 3.7 assists, as well as 1.5 steals per game. <\/p>\n
The Jazz franchise trajectory changed, too, in a season where pundits had projected them to fall out of the playoff picture after the loss of franchise star Gordon Hayward to Boston. <\/p>\n
Instead, they went 48-34 (a three-game drop off from the prior year), advanced to the second round, and Donovan was the face of the franchise overnight, starting a new Jazz era with a team anchored around him, Rudy Gobert, and complemented by Jordan Clarkson, Joe Ingles, and Mike Conley, among others.<\/p>\n
Will Ace Bailey make the All-Rookie First or Second Team?<\/p>\n
Bailey has a good shot to make one of the teams; his late-season surge should help net him first team votes, but it would be a surprise if he was left off completely, even in a historic season for rookies – the first EIGHT picks all averaged double-figure scoring – something that hasn’t happened since 1993-94.<\/p>\n
Jazz fans already know he’s one of the best rookies in franchise history, no matter what the voters ultimately decide.<\/p>\n
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