Karl Malone (Photo courtesy of the NBA)
Though the Jazz has no championships in their history they do have an impressive list of colorful and outstanding players. Part of the problem for the Jazz is their apex occurred when Michael Jordan was in his heyday. In putting this list together, I was surprised at the depth of good players that have played in a Jazz uniform. Some guys I expected to be on the list didn’t make it. One guy that fits that category is Darrell Griffin, aka Doctor Dunkenstein. Darrell was the NBA’s rookie of the year in the 1980–81 season and was good for 20 points a game in the first five years of his career. Truck Robinson was a beast but only spent two years in a Jazz uni. Rich Kelly was like a Henry Finkle with a little more skill.
In addition, Ricky Green and Deron Williams were all excellent players who were crowded out of this list.
10: Mark Eaton. This Man Mountain spent all 11 of his seasons in the NBA with the Jazz. He led the NBA in blocks four times, peaking with 5.6 blocks per game in the 1984–85 season. Mark answered the bell almost every time. He appeared in all 82 games four times in his career and appeared in at least 79 games in 10 of his 11 NBA seasons. Not surprisingly for a guy who stood 7’4”, Eaton was a force on the boards, averaging 9.9 rebounds for his career. He wasn’t a particularly great scorer, averaging 7.5 ppg, but that wasn’t where his value was.
In addition to having one of the worst nicknames in NBA history, Jeff was also an outstanding guard during his seven seasons in Utah. Hornacek was an exceptional shooter, hitting .494 of his shots overall, including .428 of his three-pointers. He also hit .897 of his free throws. While Hornacek averaged “only”14.4 ppg with the Jazz, he was obviously very efficient. Jeff also averaged 4 assists and 1.3 steals during his tenure in Utah. In watching Hornacek, it seemed like he made an extraordinary number of tough shots. The dude was sneaky good.
Before his days in Chicago when he could be heard screaming for somebody to pick up his man, or cussing after a missed free throw, or painting his head, he was a force to be reckoned with in Utah. Boozer averaged 19.3 ppg to go with 10.9 rebounds while with the Jazz. He shot an outstanding .544 from the field. While Boozer had some quirks in his game, he was undeniably effective with the Jazz.
7: Jeff Malone
Jeff averaged 18.5 ppg in four seasons with the Jazz while shooting the worst percentage shot in basketball, the long two-pointer. Of course, Jeff could really shoot, just not from beyond the arc. Malone hit just over 50% of his shots from the field and 88% from the line. Those were close to his playoff numbers. While Malone wasn’t the most versatile player, he was effective. He was also the second-best Malone in Jazz history, but more about that later.
Donovan can score pretty much any way possible on the court. He can hit the three, take it to the hoop, or hit a mid-range shot. In five seasons with the Jazz Mitchell was named an all-star three times. Donovan actually increased his production in the playoffs, averaging 28.3 ppg. Donovan is now plying his trade with the Cavaliers.
5: Rudy Gobert
It took me a while to appreciate Gobert’s game, but three Defensive Player of the Year awards do get your attention. Gobert has also improved his offense to the point where he’s good for about 15ppg. He also is extremely efficient, leading the NBA in FG percentage three times. Gobert doesn’t have a lot of range but if you hit 65–70% of your shots you’re still a contributor. After nine seasons in Utah, Gobert was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
While Pete ranks fourth on this list, he would be number one on the list of most entertaining members of the Jazz. Pete’s scoring average for his seven seasons with the Jazz was 23.7 and his field goal percentage was a relatively low .434. Pete’s Jazz days were before the advent of the three-point shot, which didn’t mean Pete didn’t shoot three-pointers, he just got credit for two points when he hit them. Pete might be artificially high on this list, but hey, it’s my list.
Dantley was a tremendous scorer in his days with the Jazz, leading the NBA in scoring two of his seven seasons with the team. Adrian was an amazing scorer from the low post, hitting .562 from the field. He also got to the line a little over 10 times and game and cashed in on 82% of his free throws. Adrian averaged 29.6 for his time in Utah and scored over 30 points in four of those seasons. Dantley was a six-time all-star with the Jazz. Dantley was one of the best offensive players in the league while with the Jazz.
2: Karl Malone
In some ways, The Mailman was like Adrian Dantley only stronger. The greatest Malone in Jazz history spent 18 seasons with the Jazz, averaging 25.4 ppg to go along with 10.2 rebounds. To produce at that level for that long is astounding. Karl also hit .517 of his shots from the field. He went to the all-star game 14 times. He could also throw a mean elbow, but that’s another story. Malone played all 82 games of the regular season 10 times. This was before NBA players listened to their bodies and actually answered the bell during the regular season. The Mailman really did deliver.
Stockton spent all 19 years of his Hall of Fame career with the Jazz. Stockton was one of the best decision-makers I’ve ever seen. (At least on the court.) John averaged 10.5 assists over 19 years and led the NBA in assists per game for 9 consecutive seasons, from the 1987–88 season through the 1995–96 season. He maxed out at 14.5 in the 1989–90 season. Stockton also led the NBA in steals two times. He averaged 2.2 steals per game for his career. Stockton could also score, averaging 13.1 ppg while shooting .515 from the field. Included in that is a mark of .381 on threes. Stockton was a 10-time all-star and one of the best point guards in the history of the NBA.
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