Teams, like players, have a tendency to lose in the beginning. The New Orleans Jazz were no exception, finishing their debut 1974-75 season a dismal 23-59. Still, the fanbase in New Orleans had to be excited. A 23-win season is a lot easier to stomach when it coincides with Pistol Pete Maravich’s debut for your squad.
While this roster may have wanted for capable talent, it was not lacking in notable names. Arguably, Maravich wasn’t even the most accomplished player on the roster. 35-year-old Walt Bellamy played a single game for the New Orleans Jazz in 1974, but the 1993 Hall of Fame inductee’s name still bears mention. This is a man who scored 31.6 points per game in his rookie campaign in 1961.
Meanwhile, Rick Adelman, former NBA head coach, suited up 28 times for this squad, and Henry Bibby, the father of long time NBA point guard Mike Bibby, contributed the same number of games.
Frankly, it might be difficult to identify a more interesting 23-win team in NBA history.
debut of another player altogether</a>.</p>
<p>Rudy Gobert would begin his career with the Utah Jazz in the 2013-14 season. The 9.6 minutes per game he would average do not qualify as a harbinger of what was to come.</p>
<p>Spoiler alert: he’ll be an important part of many of the more successful Utah Jazz seasons we’ll cover in this article.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 43. 1978-79 / 2004-05 (Tie) </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_85153" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-85153" src=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2129,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fthejnotes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F98951214.jpeg" alt="Utah Jazz" width="3200" height="2129" srcset="https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/98951214.jpeg 3200w, https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/98951214-768x511.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Carlos Boozer, Utah Jazz (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)</p>
</div>
</div>
<h2>1978-79 New Orleans Jazz record: 26-56, missed playoffs</h2>
<p>The 1978-79 version of the New Orleans Jazz are reminiscent of several iterations of the club that we’ve already covered: heavy on star-power, light on wins.</p><div class="widget fs_ads"> <div class="fs_ad_widget-ad" style="margin:0 auto; width: 300px;"> <div class="fs-ll-ad" data-ad-type="minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet" data-vendor="minutemedia">
<div id="minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet" data-position="slideshow_inline" data-slot="inline_84903" style="width:300px;margin: 0 auto;">
<script>
googletag.cmd.push(function () {
googletag.defineSlot("/175840252/fansided.com/TheJ-Notes/mpu",[300, 250], "minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet")
.addService(googletag.pubads());
googletag.enableServices();
googletag.display("minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet");
});
</script>
</div>
</div> </div> </div>
<p>Pistol Pete returned for another season at the helm, and he delivered to the tune of 22.6 points and 5 assists per game. The Jazz also featured one NBA history’s most underrated stars in Truck Robinson. If you’re not familiar with that (amazing) name, familiarize yourself with the following stats: 24.2 points, 13.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.</p>
<p>Those were the numbers the former second round pick produced in the 1978-79 season. These Jazz also featured two more legendary players in Spencer Haywood, who accounted for 24 points and 9.6 rebounds a night, and Los Angeles Lakers legend Gail Goodrich, who was admittedly past his prime at 35 but still contributed 12.7 points and 4.8 assists per game.</p>
<p>For those of us who weren’t born yet, it’s hard to account for how this team only managed a mere 26 wins, especially factoring in support from Jim McElroy (16.9 points, 5.7 assists) and Rich Kelley (15.7 points, 12.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists). It has every appearance of a deep, talented playoff team.</p>
<p>Appearances can be misleading, and this team fell short enough to warrant a move to Utah in the following season.</p>
<h2>2004-05 Utah Jazz record: 26-56, missed playoffs</h2>
<p>If the 1978-79 Jazz’s failures left you scratching your head, the 2004-05 Utah Jazz’s are more likely to induce yawning. Matt Harpring was a solid role player throughout his career, but third-leading scorer is not a role most associate with him in their memories.</p>
<p>That’s exactly what Harpring was for these Jazzmen, with an average of 14.0 points per game. The club’s top two scorers, on the other hand, would both go onto become <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"https://thejnotes.com/2021/08/13/utah-jazz-time-teams/">cornerstones on better Utah Jazz teams in the future</a>. Unfortunately, both Carlos Boozer and Andrei Kirilenko were only 22 heading into the 2004-05 season.</p>
<p>Both young stars showed flashes of potential that we know, in hindsight, they would go onto actualize. Boozer’s 17.8 points and 9 rebounds per game were solid, and Kirilenko’s remarkably well-rounded stat line was indicative of a player entering into an early prime: 15.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 3.3 blocks and 1.6 steals per game.</p>
<p>Wings who block 3.3 blocks per game don’t grow on trees: in fact, you can’t even engineer them in a lab. AK-47 was a singular force of unprecedented nature on the defensive side of the floor. The 2004-05 Utah Jazz simply couldn’t capitalize on his dominance.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 41. 1980-81 </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—></p><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_85167" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-85167" src=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2370,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fthejnotes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F500893650.jpeg" alt="Utah Jazz " width="1600" height="2370" srcset="https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/500893650.jpeg 1600w, https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/500893650-768x1138.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Darrell Griffith, Utah Jazz (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)</p>
</div>
</div>
<h2>1980-81 Utah Jazz record: 28-54, missed playoffs</h2>
<p>Another late-70s / early-80s Utah Jazz team, another year of Adrian Dantley and Darrell Griffith not getting enough help.</p>
<p>Such was the story of this era of Utah Jazz basketball. The dynamic duo couldn’t even get a double digit scoring average from a teammate, as the Jazz’s third leading scorer through 1980-81 was Ben Poquette with 9.5 points per game. Perhaps the 25-year old combo big could have contributed more if not for the 4.2 fouls per game that kept him frequently off the floor.</p>
<p>This would be the Jazz’s first season since 1974-75 without Maravich manning the point. We’d like to suggest that this was a major factor in their 28 win total, however, that actually marked a 4 win improvement over the year before.</p>
<p>The Utah Jazz have a rich history of success in the NBA, but boy, were the early years rough.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 40. 1982-83 </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_74505" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-74505" src=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2119,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fthejnotes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F886607.jpeg" alt="Utah Jazz" width="3200" height="2119" srcset="https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/886607.jpeg 3200w, https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/886607-768x509.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Mark Eaton, Utah Jazz (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)</p>
</div>
</div>
<h2>1982-83 Utah Jazz record: 30-52, missed playoffs</h2>
<p>The 1982-83 season was almost business-as-usual for the Utah Jazz: the operative word being <em>almost. </em></p>
<p>Adrian Dantley scored 30.7 a night, Darrell Griffith scored 22.2, and the Jazz were bad anyway. However, something was looming in Salt Lake City. Something huge.</p>
<p>Something like the 7’4, 275 pound behemoth known as Mark Eaton. The newly drafted big man (talk about an understatement) averaged 4.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game over the course of his rookie campaign, to go with 3.4 blocks. Yes, 3.4 blocks; in 18.9 minutes per game.</p>
<p>We’ll save you the trouble of crunching the numbers: that’s 6.5 blocks per 36 minutes.</p>
<p>Little else went right for the Utah Jazz during the 1982-83 season, but Eaton would go onto man the middle for the franchise for about a decade afterwards. For an otherwise unsuccessful season, that qualifies as a victory.</p>
<p>Eaton tragically passed away in a bicycle accident on May 28, 2021. He was 64. As basketball fans, we cannot afford to forget one of the most singular players in NBA history. Nobody blocked shots like prime Mark Eaton, and he was a<a href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"https://globalnews.ca/news/7905593/mark-eaton-jazz-great-obit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> staple in the Utah community long after his playing career.</a> Fans of the Utah Jazz should preserve his legacy on and off the court.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 39. 1976-77 </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_85380" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-85380" src=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2370,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fthejnotes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F937605004.jpeg" alt="Utah Jazz " width="1600" height="2370" srcset="https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/937605004.jpeg 1600w, https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/937605004-768x1138.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Gail Goodrich of the New Orleans Jazz (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)</p>
</div>
</div>
<h2>1976-77 New Orleans Jazz record: 35-47, missed playoffs</h2>
<p>There isn’t much separating the 1976-77 New Orleans Jazz from the rest of the franchise’s seasons in the Big Easy. Once again, Pistol Pete Maravich dazzled crowds with ahead-of-his-time passing and dribbling wizardry, and once again, the team lost more games than they won and missed the playoffs.</p>
<p>The biggest difference was probably the Pistol’s individual performance. He racked up an incredible 31.1 points and 5.4 assists per game for the future Utah Jazz in 1976-77. Once again, his supporting cast was a little below par, as the team’s second leading scorer was a past-his-prime, 33-year-old Gail Goodrich at 12.6 points per game.</p>
<p>Otherwise, this club’s list of scoring leaders is populated by names recognizable only to Jazz diehards. Nate Williams, Aaron James and Jim McElroy may easily have been solid pros, but they’re the types of names that even a J-Notes site expert may not recognize (for example).</p>
<p>In some ways, the 1976-77 season encapsulates the New Orleans Jazz experience: NBA legend Pete Maravich, a significantly aged Gail Goodrich, little else and a losing season.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 38. 1975-76 / 2014-15 (Tie) </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_85383" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<a href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/imagn-images/2017/07/15907827.jpeg">
criminally underrated Truck Robinson</a> here. The aptly-named power forward averaged a gargantuan 22.7 points and 15.7 rebounds per game over the 1977-78 season.</p>
<p>That’s a substantial statistical contribution, but it just wasn’t enough for New Orleans to punch a ticket to the league’s postseason dance. Neither was Maravich’s 27.0 points and 6.7 assists per game. Gail Goodrich was even a solid contributor in his age-34 season, averaging 16.1 points and 4.8 assists per game.</p>
<p>By the 1977-78 season, the franchise was nearing the end of its tenure in New Orleans, and it isn’t difficult to see why. Year-after-year, the Jazz fielded a talented roster in the Big Easy, and year-after-year, they missed the playoffs anyway.</p>
<p>The 1977-78 season was no exception.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 35. 2010-11 </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—></p><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_85659" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-85659" src=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2165,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fthejnotes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F159366377.jpeg" alt="Utah Jazz" width="3200" height="2165" srcset="https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/159366377.jpeg 3200w, https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/159366377-768x520.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Paul Millsap of the Utah Jazz (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)</p>
</div>
</div>
<h2>2010-11 Utah Jazz record: 39-43, missed playoffs</h2>
<p>If any iteration of the Utah Jazz could be accused of underperformance, it may be the 2010-11 version. This was a tumultuous season marked by in-fighting that ultimately culminated in the dissolution of a highly-talented group.</p>
<p>The 2010-11 Utah Jazz’s fate is perhaps best captured by its mid-season coaching change. Jerry Sloan had this group with a solid record of 31-23 when he resigned. It seems that <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/7-1-2-years-later-deron-williams-apologizes-jerry-sloan-night-changed-jazz-forever-212203790.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a rift between himself and star point guard Deron Williams</a> forced the Jazz icon into retirement.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, a coaching change wouldn’t be enough to keep Williams in Salt Lake City, as the front office honored his trade request by <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"https://thejnotes.com/2021/09/18/utah-jazz-best-trade-brooklyn-nets/">sending him packing to the New Jersey Nets</a>. In return, the Jazz would receive franchise mainstay Derrick Favors, Devin Harris and two future first-round picks.</p>
<p>It was a solid return for Williams, but it did little to improve the Jazz’s short-term prospects. Interim head coach Tyrone Corbin would finish out the season 8-20, and the Utah Jazz would miss the playoffs.</p>
<p>A team that started out the season with a core of Deron Williams, Paul Millsap, Andre Kirilenko and Al Jefferson undoubtedly had higher expectations. The Jazz also rostered a 20-year-old rookie named Gordon Hayward, but his future significance to the franchise was not yet apparent.</p>
<p>The 2010-11 season is far from the worst Utah Jazz season we’ve covered in this article, but with the possible exception of 1979-80, it may be the most disappointing.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 34. 2015-16 </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_84737" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<a href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/imagn-images/2017/07/16238116.jpeg">
Matt Harpring</a>.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 32. 2003-04 </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_85949" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-85949" src=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_979,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fthejnotes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F109386610.jpeg" alt="Utah Jazz " width="1600" height="979" srcset="https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/109386610.jpeg 1600w, https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/109386610-768x470.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Andrei Kirilenko of the Utah Jazz (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)</p>
</div>
</div>
<h2>2003-04 Utah Jazz record: 42-40, missed playoffs</h2>
<p>The 2003-04 Utah jazz could be aptly described as a ragtag bunch. This was the franchise’s first season without their famed duo of Karl Malone and John Stockton, and as with any team entering into an entirely new era, expectations were reasonably low. Although this team missed the league’s postseason dance, their winning regular season record (the first we’ve covered in this article) exceeded those expectations.</p>
<p>Much of which can be attributed to the breakout campaign of Andrei Kirilenko. The 22-year-old wing posted an absurdly well-rounded 16.5 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.8 blocks and 1.9 steals per contest over the 2003-04 season. That was good for an equally outrageous 7.2 VORP.</p>
<p>Simply put, AK-47 was one of the best players in the entire NBA in 2003-04, an elite defensive wing who was named to the 2003-04 All-Defensive Second Team with a solid offensive game to boot.</p>
<p>Otherwise, Utah Jazz fan favorite Matt Harpring was second on this team in scoring, with 16.2 points and 8 rebounds per game. Outside of those two, this roster was somewhat unremarkable, although 22-year-old DeShawn Stevenson would go on to enjoy a solid NBA career.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 31. 2012-13 </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_85950" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-85950" src=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2061,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fthejnotes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F165109124.jpeg" alt="Utah Jazz " width="3200" height="2061" srcset="https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/165109124.jpeg 3200w, https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/165109124-768x495.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Al Jefferson of the Utah Jazz (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)</p>
</div>
</div>
<h2>2012-13 Utah Jazz record: 43-39, missed playoffs</h2>
<p>The 2012-13 Utah Jazz represent the last hurrah of an entire era of Jazz basketball, headlined by the last cast of talented players who cannot be directly tied to the current era of the club’s history.</p><div class="widget fs_ads"> <div class="fs_ad_widget-ad" style="margin:0 auto; width: 300px;"> <div class="fs-ll-ad" data-ad-type="minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet" data-vendor="minutemedia">
<div id="minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet" data-position="slideshow_inline" data-slot="inline_84903" style="width:300px;margin: 0 auto;">
<script>
googletag.cmd.push(function () {
googletag.defineSlot("/175840252/fansided.com/TheJ-Notes/mpu",[300, 250], "minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet")
.addService(googletag.pubads());
googletag.enableServices();
googletag.display("minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet");
});
</script>
</div>
</div> </div> </div>
<p>The leading scorer in 2012-13 was Big Al Jefferson, himself emblematic of a bygone time. His vast array of low block head fakes and spin moves produced 17.8 points per game for a talented, yet ultimately mediocre Utah Jazz team.</p>
<p>The gap between Jefferson and the team’s next leading scorer, Paul Millsap, was substantial, as Millsap scored a mere 14.6 points per game that season. That was a steep and unexpected drop-off for the former second round steal, who’d averaged 16.6 and 17.3 points per game in his two seasons prior.</p>
<p>Another positive development for the Jazzman that season was Gordon Hayward’s continued development. He averaged 14.1 points per game and began to look the part of a future franchise cornerstone.</p>
<p>As always, the benefit of hindsight is immeasurable.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 30. 1984-85 </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—></p><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_85946" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-85946" src=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2370,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fthejnotes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F499320378.jpeg" alt="Utah Jazz" width="1600" height="2370" srcset="https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/499320378.jpeg 1600w, https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/499320378-768x1138.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Adrian Dantley of the Utah Jazz (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)</p>
</div>
</div>
<h2>1984-85 Utah Jazz record: 41-41, Lost NBA Western Conference Semifinals 1-4 vs Denver Nuggets</h2>
<p>Just like the 2005-06 version of the Utah Jazz, the club finished an even .500 in 1984-85 at 41-41. The major difference between those two historic squads, however, is that this version made the playoffs.</p>
<p>They actually managed to do some damage when they got there as well, upsetting the Houston Rockets in the first round to advance to the Western Conference semifinals.</p>
<p>For more recent Utah Jazz fans, the notion of upsetting the Rockets in the playoffs has to be deeply, if not sickly, satisfying.</p>
<p>The Rockets were led by the twin towers of Ralph Sampson and a rookie (then) named Akeem Olajuwon. It simply wasn’t enough to stifle a Jazz attack led by franchise icons like Adrian Dantley, Mark Eaton, Darrell Griffith and Rickey Green.</p>
<p>Plus, the Utah Jazz had a soon-to-be franchise icon playing out his rookie season as well. John Stockton wasn’t quite ready to prove himself the greatest guard in Jazz history yet, as the rookie point guard averaged 5.6 points and 5.1 assists over the course of the 1984-85 season. That’s a far cry from the 20.6 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game Olajuwon would average in his maiden campaign.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, Stockton and his Utah Jazz would have the last laugh, dispelling the Rockets 3-2 in what was then a 5-game first round series. They’d continue on to lose to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semis, but on the bright side, John Stockton wouldn’t submit such a modest statistical output for 18 more years in the National Basketball Association.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 29. 1985-86 </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_85952" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-85952" src=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1845,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fthejnotes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F79859853.jpeg" alt="Utah Jazz" width="1600" height="1845" srcset="https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/79859853.jpeg 1600w, https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/79859853-768x886.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Rickey Green of the Utah Jazz (Photo by Ronald C. Modra/Getty Images)</p>
</div>
</div>
<h2>1985-86 Utah Jazz record: 42-40, Lost Western Conference First Round 1-3 vs Dallas Mavericks</h2>
<p>Like so many placements in an exercise of this nature, the decision between the 1984-85 Utah Jazz and the previous year is largely subjective. On the one hand, the Jazzmen won a playoff series in the 1984-85, but on the other, this iteration of the club actually finished the season with a winning record (in addition to playing in the postseason).</p>
<p>Ultimately, we ranked 1985-86 one spot ahead because of the future-focused implication of this group’s roster construction. Essentially, the presence of an extra Jazz icon gave this season a boost.</p>
<p>We think it’s fair to say that Karl Malone’s rookie season is a pretty significant one in Utah Jazz history.</p>
<p>The Mailman wasn’t an obvious superstar in his rookie campaign, but he did point to his immense potential with averages of 14.9 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, his longtime counterpart John Stockton was on his way to Point God status, albeit not there yet. His 7.7 points and 7.9 assists don’t leap off of the page like the statistics from some of his prime years, but considering his limited minutes in 1985-86, they’re impressive. For added context, he averaged 11.7 points and 11.3 assists per 36 minutes.</p>
<p>Rickey Green was still blocking his path on the Utah Jazz depth chart, and deservingly so, as Green turned in a solid campaign with 11.7 points and 5.1 assists per game. Otherwise, the Jazz were still Adrian Dantley’s team in 1986-86. He averaged 29.8 points per game in what would be his last season with the club.</p>
<p>The Utah Jazz were in the dawn of the most successful era in their franchise’s history by 1985-86, and their fans largely had no idea it was coming.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 28. 2001-02 / 1986-87 (Tie) </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_86239" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-86239" src=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1958,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fthejnotes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F51668509.jpeg" alt="Utah Jazz " width="1600" height="1958" srcset="https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/51668509.jpeg 1600w, https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/51668509-768x940.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">John Stockton of the Utah Jazz (GEORGE FREY/AFP via Getty Images)</p>
</div>
</div>
<h2>2001-02 Utah Jazz record: 44-38, Lost NBA Western Conference First Round 1-3 vs Sacramento Kings</h2>
<p>The 1985-86 Utah Jazz may have been in the dawn of a new era, but by 2001-02, the sun was definitively setting on John Stockton and Karl Malone.</p>
<p>The duo were both still All-Star caliber players. Stockton averaged 15.5 points and 9.5 assists in his age 39 season, while Malone averaged 22.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists at the age of 38.</p>
<p>Such productivity at each man’s advanced age was nothing short of remarkable, however, there was an obvious cap on this team’s ceiling, as it precisely met its expected 43-38 win/loss total. In the playoffs, each Utah Jazz star players’ age would begin to show dramatically, as they got ran off the floor by the running-and-gunning Sacramento Kings.</p>
<p>In 2001-02, the Kings led the NBA in pace. That posed a problem for two superstars in their late 30s. Meanwhile, the Kings were an overwhelmingly talented squad, led by Chris Webber, Peja Stojakovic, Mike Bibby and Vlade Divac. They would go on to push the dynastic Los Angeles Lakers to 7 games in the Western Conference Finals.</p>
<p>They were one of the most talented teams to ever fall short of an NBA Finals appearance, and the Jazz were simply ill-equipped to handle their attack. John Stockton and Karl Malone saw more successful years together, to say the least.</p>
<h2>1986-87 Utah Jazz record: 44-38, Lost NBA Western Conference First Round 2-3 vs Golden State Warriors</h2>
<p>If Karl Malone and John Stockton were too weathered to lead an elite NBA team in 2001-02, they were probably a little too green for the task in 1986-87. The former was beginning to emerge as a potential franchise player by his age 23 season with averages of 21.7 points and 10.4 rebounds per contest.</p>
<p>Stockton, on the other hand, looked like something closer to an elite role player with averages of 7.9 points and 8.2 assists per game. He was stuck behind franchise icons Rickey Green and Darrell Griffith in Head Coach Frank Layden’s rotation.</p>
<p>This Utah Jazz team also lost in the first round of the NBA playoffs, this time to a Golden State Warriors outfit led by a historically-underrated Sleepy Floyd and a 23-year-old Chris Mullin. On paper, one might have expected this Jazz club to best the Warriors, but that’s why the games are played on the hardwood.</p>
<p>An underrated storyline from this season was Kelly Tripucka’s tremendous fall from grace. His first season in Salt Lake City, Tripucka’s points per game dipped from the 20.0 he averaged as a Piston in 1985-86 all the way down to 10.1 points per game. Evidently, something in Utah’s fresh mountain air didn’t agree with the star forward.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 26. 2011-12 </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_86241" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-86241" src=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1015,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fthejnotes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F159325916.jpeg" alt="Utah Jazz " width="1600" height="1015" srcset="https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/159325916.jpeg 1600w, https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/159325916-768x487.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Paul Millsap of the Utah Jazz (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)</p>
</div>
</div>
<h2>2011-12 Utah Jazz record: 36-30, Lost NBA Western Conference First Round 0-4 vs San Antonio Spurs</h2>
<p>The 2011-12 NBA season is primarily remembered for its lockout-related shortening. For fans of the NBA in general, it is decidedly not remembered for the Utah Jazz.</p>
<p>Having said that, the Jazz did boast a strong frontcourt during this season. Al Jefferson was a throwback, low-block bruising big man, but if a team did wish to play someone like him in 2021, it’s hard to envision a better fitting frontcourt partner than Paul Millsap. His multi-positional defense and floor spacing compensated for Jefferson’s deficiencies in those areas.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, future (brief) face of the franchise Gordon Hayward lined up at the small forward position. At 21, Hayward began to flash his immense potential with averages of 11.8 points, 3.5 assists and 3.1 rebounds.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, this team’s backcourt play was simply not good enough to compete for anything other than a first-round exit. Their lead scoring guard was Devin Harris, with 11.3 points per game. Ultimately, a team built around Jefferson’s low-block mastery ended up being a recipe for mediocrity.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 25. 1992-93 / 2002-03 (Tie) </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_86599" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-86599" src=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2370,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fthejnotes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1343859551.jpeg" alt="Utah Jazz " width="1600" height="2370" srcset="https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1343859551.jpeg 1600w, https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1343859551-768x1138.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">John Stockton of the Utah Jazz (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)</p>
</div>
</div>
<h2>1992-93 Utah Jazz record: 47-35, Lost Western Conference First Round 2-3 vs Seattle SuperSonics</h2>
<p>The 1992-93 Utah Jazz had a higher winning percentage than any iteration of the team we’ve covered in this article so far. Unfortunately, a flameout in the playoffs holds this team’s ranking behind even some less impressive regular season Jazzmen.</p><div class="widget fs_ads"> <div class="fs_ad_widget-ad" style="margin:0 auto; width: 300px;"> <div class="fs-ll-ad" data-ad-type="minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet" data-vendor="minutemedia">
<div id="minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet" data-position="slideshow_inline" data-slot="inline_84903" style="width:300px;margin: 0 auto;">
<script>
googletag.cmd.push(function () {
googletag.defineSlot("/175840252/fansided.com/TheJ-Notes/mpu",[300, 250], "minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet")
.addService(googletag.pubads());
googletag.enableServices();
googletag.display("minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet");
});
</script>
</div>
</div> </div> </div>
<p>It was Karl Malone’s age 29 season, and his counterpart John Stockton’s age 30 campaign. With both men firmly entrenched in their primes, one may expect that this Jazz squad would be among the best that Salt Lake City ever witnessed. One would be wrong for at least two reasons.</p>
<p>The first would be that both former Utah Jazz superstars aged into later-than-average primes. As good as Malone (27.0 points, 11..2 rebounds, 3.8 assists per game) and Stockton (15.1 points, 12.4 assists, 2.4 steals) were by 1993-94, they would both, remarkably, get better.</p>
<p>The second is that the duo was lacking a quality supporting cast. Jeff Malone was solid with an 18.1 point per game scoring average, but otherwise, this team was simply lacking in premiere talent. Utah Jazz legend Mark Eaton, by 36, was rapidly losing his effectiveness. He managed a humble 17.3 minutes per game in 1992-93.</p>
<p>Ultimately, these Utah Jazz would drop the first round to a Seattle SuperSonics club featuring a younger power forward/point guard duo in Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton, in addition to a much deeper supporting cast.</p>
<h2>2002-03 Utah Jazz record: 47-35, Lost NBA Western Conference First Round vs Sacramento Kings (1-4)</h2>
<p>The 1992-93 Jazz were on the cusp of greatness. The 2002-03 Jazz were desperately attempting to relive the same greatness their decade-earlier iteration were on the cusp of.</p>
<p>By 2002-03, Karl Malone was 39 and John Stockton was 40. Both men were still effective, but decidedly removed from their primes. Malone averaged 20.6 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game, with Stockton posting 10.8 points and 7.7 assists per contest.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the Jazz’s cupboards were somewhat restocked, but the job had not been finished. Matt Harpring had a career year for the Jazzmen, averaging 17.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. A 21-year-old Andrei Kirilenko was effective, but still a few years away from his impressive peak.</p>
<p>All told, it would be the Mailman’s last season in Salt Lake City, and Stockton’s last in the NBA, period.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 23. 2008-09 </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—></p><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_86604" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-86604" src=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1126,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fthejnotes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F107816324.jpeg" alt="Utah Jazz " width="1600" height="1126" srcset="https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/107816324.jpeg 1600w, https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/107816324-768x540.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Deron Williams of the Utah Jazz (Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images)</p>
</div>
</div>
<h2>2008-09 Utah Jazz Record: 48-34, Lost NBA Western Conference First Round vs Los Angeles Lakers 1-4.</h2>
<p>In the grand scheme of things, the Utah Jazz didn’t have to wait long to host a player with a case as the best point guard in the NBA after John Stockton’s retirement.</p>
<p>By 2008-09, Deron Williams was arguably at the zenith of his immense powers. In his age 24 season, Williams averaged 19.4 points per game and 10.7 assists per game. If you didn’t think he was the best point guard in the NBA, that could only have been because you preferred Chris Paul.</p>
<p>Otherwise, this version of the Jazzmen boasted solid depth, rostering an in-prime Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur, a pre-prime Paul Millsap and an Andrei Kirilenko who was inexplicably past his prime by the age of 27.</p>
<p>Otherwise, Matt Harpring was still kicking around, but by the age of 32 his production had fallen off one of Utah’s vast mountains. Another notable Jazzman on this roster was Kyle Korver, but the 38.6% he shot from three-point range on 3.6 attempts per contest don’t compare to either the volume or accuracy we’d later come to expect from him.</p>
<p>That’s a lot of notable talent here, but not enough to drag the Jazz past a dominant Lakers team led by Kobe Bryant.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 22. 1983-84 </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_86242" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-86242" src=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2370,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fthejnotes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F499320372.jpeg" alt="Utah Jazz " width="1600" height="2370" srcset="https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/499320372.jpeg 1600w, https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/499320372-768x1138.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Utah Jazz (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)</p>
</div>
</div>
<h2>1983-84 Utah Jazz record: 45-37, Lost NBA Western Conference Semifinals vs Phoenix Suns 2-4</h2>
<p>This is the best Utah Jazz team we’ve covered so far in this slide, and it isn’t particularly close. They didn’t only reach the playoffs, but eliminate a talented Denver Nuggets squad in the first round.</p>
<p>It was also (perhaps not coincidentally) Adrian Dantley’s finest season as a Jazzman. The prolific scorer averaged 30.6 points per contest in 1983-84. Unlike some of his other seasons in Salt Lake City, this time around, Dantley actually had sufficient help.</p>
<p>The talented backcourt duo of Rickey Green and Darrell Griffith averaged 13.2 points and 9.2 assists per game and 20.0 point and 3.5 assists per game respectively. In tandem with Dantley’s immense production, the Utah Jazz finished the regular season with the league’s 9th best offense.</p>
<p>The defense was a little weaker, finishing 12th among the NBA’s 23 teams. Much of the credit for its relative competency is due to Mark Eaton. He (only) managed to block 4.3 shots per game in 1983-84, and his 102 Defensive Rating led the team.</p>
<p>In short, this wasn’t the first winning Utah Jazz team, but it may have been the first one that every other team in the Association was forced to take seriously.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 21. 1987-88 </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_86601" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-86601" src=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2370,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fthejnotes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1343859591.jpeg" alt="Utah Jazz " width="1600" height="2370" srcset="https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1343859591.jpeg 1600w, https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1343859591-768x1138.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">John Stockton of the Utah Jazz for the Jazz (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)</p>
</div>
</div>
<h2>1987-88 Utah Jazz Record: 47-35, Lost NBA Western Conference Semifinals vs Los Angeles Lakers 3-4</h2>
<p>The 1987-88 Utah Jazz were a team in the midst of a nearly-completed transition. Franchise mainstays like Darrell Griffith and Rickey Green were still around, but it was becoming increasingly obvious that they were no longer the cornerstones in Salt Lake City.</p>
<p>The former’s minutes had been reduced to 20.2 per night, a career low for the career-long Jazzman. Meanwhile, the latter had clearly been usurped by John Stockton. Green averaged 4.9 points and 3.7 assists per game in 87-88,: Stockton averaged 14.7 points and 13.8 assists. The squad’s point guard of the future had been squarely decided.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, a 24-year-old Karl Malone was already averaging 27.7 points per game en route to the second-most points in NBA history.</p>
<p>As strong as this unit was, they dropped the Western Conference Semifinals to the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers. Utah Jazz alumni from 1987-88 shouldn’t feel too badly about losing to Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: everyone was doing it at the time, and they impressively pushed the champs to 7 games.</p>
<p>Fun fact: did you know Darryl Dawkins played four games for the 1987-88 Utah Jazz? He wasn’t exactly the Dunk You Very Much that was shattering backboards to the delight of fans throughout the 70s: in fact, Dawkins converted two field goals over the entire season.</p>
<p>He’s still an NBA legend that was rostered by the Utah Jazz.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 20. 2017-18 </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_61309" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-61309" src=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2218,w_3000/https%3A%2F%2Fthejnotes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F08%2F831083360-2017-nba-rookie-photo-shoot.jpg.jpg" alt="Utah Jazz" width="3000" height="2218" srcset="https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/08/831083360-2017-nba-rookie-photo-shoot.jpg.jpg 3000w, https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/08/831083360-2017-nba-rookie-photo-shoot.jpg-768x568.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3000px) 100vw, 3000px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3000px;">Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)</p>
</div>
</div>
<h2>2017-18 Utah Jazz Record: 48-34, Lost NBA Western Conference Semifinals to Houston Rockets 1-4</h2>
<p>The 2017-18 Utah Jazz are not fundamentally different from the group of Jazzmen that fans know and love today. Donovan Mitchell led this group in scoring in his rookie campaign with 20.5 points per game. Meanwhile, Rudy Gobert may not have been as fully realized as the 2021-22 version, but with 13.5 points per game, 10.7 rebounds per game and 2.3 blocks per game, he was fully entrenched as the team’s starting center.</p>
<p>The Jazz’s All-Star duo weren’t the only familiar faces in 2017-18. Joe Ingles authored a breakout season with the only NBA franchise he’s ever known with averages of 11.5 points, 4.8 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game. Royce O’Neale was a 24-year-old rookie as well, although in 16.7 minutes per game he wasn’t ready to make the impact <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"https://thejnotes.com/2021/11/16/utah-jazz-one-player-growth/">that he does in 2021-22.</a></p>
<p>The most satisfying development in this Jazz season was Donovan Mitchell’s readiness to assume the position of number one offensive option. The team was a year removed from Gordon Hayward’s unexpected departure, and expected to regress in the absence of a star offensive player. Instead, they began one of the most successful eras in the team’s history.</p>
<p>On the novelty side, Stockton suited up for the 2017-18 Utah Jazz. David Stockton, that is. The son of the franchise icon suited up for 3 games for the Jazzmen before he was released.</p>
<p>As talented as this team was, a rookie Spida wasn’t ready to lead them past a Houston Rockets team headlined by an elite backcourt of James Harden and Chris Paul.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 19. 2018-19 </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_86605" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<a href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/13/ranking-every-season-utah-jazz/2/"https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/imagn-images/2017/07/11916151.jpeg">
<span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> Reacting to updated Jazz 2K ratings </a> </div>
</div>
<p>The Utah Jazz have seen a wide range of outcomes throughout their 48 years of existence. The current group has the potential to rank among some of the best in franchise history, but they’ll have their work cut out for them if they hope to top this list.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">