Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — On Wednesday night, the Utah Jazz honored their 1997 Western Conference Championship team that made the franchise’s first run to the NBA Finals.
The Jazz brought together Hall of Famers John Stockton and Jerry Sloan, with current New York Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek and a slew of former role players who made the ’97 Jazz roster the most successful regular-season team in franchise history.
One notable name was missing: Karl Malone.
The Mailman and his wife, Kay, were celebrating the opening of an affordable housing development they built in Ruston, Louisiana.
Though fans in the state of Utah may debate which of the dynamic duo was the better player, Malone’s dominance throughout his career has earned him the nod among most basketball aficionados. CBS Sports recently released a list of its top 50 players of all time, and Malone, ranked 16th, edged out the 23rd-ranked Stockton. Two MVP awards, 11 straight All-NBA first-team appearances and 14 All-Star games support his ranking.
While Malone was missed during the halftime celebration of the ’97 roster, Rudy Gobert made sure no absence was felt on the floor, leading the Jazz to a 108-101 win over the Knicks. Gobert finished the game with 35 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks. He missed just one of his 14 shot attempts.
His performance was truly historic. Gobert is one of just two players in NBA history to record that stat line. It’s one of the best statistical single-game performances in Jazz history.
With Malone absent from Wednesday’s game, and Gobert playing one of the finest of his career, I had to ask: Could Gobert be Utah's best player since Malone?
John Hollinger, the vice president of basketball operations for the Memphis Grizzlies, created a stat called game score, attempting to measure a player’s impact on an individual game. Gobert’s game Wednesday night scored a rating of 39.2, the 17th highest rated game in Jazz history.
It’s the highest rating for a Jazz player since Malone recorded a rating of 46.2 in April of 1998. Only Malone, Stockton, Rickey Green and Hall of Famer Adrian Dantley have recorded higher game scores in a Jazz uniform.
In short, Gobert is in rarefied air and not just because he stands 7-foot-1.
Gobert is one of three front-runners to be named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year, an award not won by a member of the Jazz since Mark Eaton in 1989. He’s a near lock for the All-NBA Defensive First Team. Beyond that, it’s hard to imagine he doesn’t snag one of three spots available at center on the league’s All-NBA teams. He would be Utah's first All-NBA selection since Deron Williams made the NBA’s second team in 2010.
Gobert isn’t the only player for the Jazz in the running for an All-NBA appearance. Gordon Hayward, coming off his first All-Star game, might compete for one of the league’s six All-NBA forward spots in what’s admittedly a much deeper position in the league. Deservedly so, Hayward has been fantastic this season.
There are other names that belong in this discussion of the best Jazz players since Malone.
The previously mentioned Williams made two All-Star appearances for the Jazz, in addition to two All-NBA second teams.
Likewise, Carlos Boozer appeared in two All-Star games for the Jazz and one All-NBA third team.
Hayward’s lone All-Star game was matched by center Mehmet Okur in 2007 and Andrei Kirilenko in 2004. Kirilenko also made three NBA All-Defensive teams. With the exception of Hayward, all of these players appeared in the Western Conference Finals with the Jazz.
What’s most impressive about Gobert and Hayward is that only now do they seem to be grasping just how far their potential can take them. Both players have set career scoring highs in the last two games; 38 points in Indiana for Hayward and 35 points against the Knicks for Gobert. Hayward regularly sets the tone offensively for the Jazz, while Gobert gets credit for the team’s defensive mindset. Gobert trails only James Harden in win shares this year in the NBA.
Both players currently fall short of the resumes of Williams, Boozer and Kirilenko as the best players since Malone left the Jazz, but have significantly closed the gap and appear to have a lot left to offer for the team that drafted them.
With a little playoff success, and recognition from the league in the form of regular-season honors, the Jazz may have found their first true superstars since Malone and Stockton left the team.
Ben Anderson is a contributor at KSL.com, follow him on Twitter @BenKFAN.
