LOS ANGELES - NOVEMBER 30: Karl Malone #11 of the Los Angeles Lakers smiles during the game against the Indiana Pacers on November 30, 2003 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images)
Is Utah Jazz legend Karl Malone overrated, underrated, or just right?
Utah Jazz legend Karl Malone is regarded as one of the greatest players in NBA history and spent almost his entire career with the team. The “Mailman” delivered 18 seasons of strong play to the team and helped turn the small market Jazz into a legit contender.
As a result, Malone is held in high regard by many Jazz fans, but maybe the Mailman shouldn’t be quite as revered as he is. That’s not to say that his accomplishments and his contributions to the team don’t matter but, perhaps, he’s a bit overrated amongst Jazz fans. Actually, maybe his standing around the NBA is correct and his status as being “underrated” by fans is, well, overrated.
My reasoning is that it’s hard to believe that a player who finished his career as the NBA’s second all-time leading scorer and won two league MVPs is underrated. Of course, his rankings are heavily affected by him failing to win a ring, but I don’t hold that against him. Micheal Jordan kept a lot of great players from ever winning a ring. Malone is not an exception.
Still, in the playoffs, his teams never quite got over the hump. That’s not necessarily his fault; the 1990s were tough and Michael Jordan left several stars ringless. Malone’s inability to win a championship with the Jazz was compounded by the fact that he left Utah to join a super team. Signing with the Lakers, at age 40, in an ill-fated attempt to try and win a title definitely hurts his legacy some.
It’s something that fellow legends Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki didn’t do. Nor did Kevin Garnett, who actually returned to Minnesota to finish his career. Speaking of Duncan, Garnett, and Nowitzki, they all rank higher than Malone in the debate over the greatest power forward of all time, and not just because they didn’t ring chase. With Malone fourth on that list, it knocks him down a few spots when people argue over the greatest NBA players of all time.
To Malone’s credit, his numbers are better than all three players, but even taking rings out of the conversation, no one would dispute that they’re each better. Duncan was one of the greatest post-scores ever, as well as an elite rim protector and rebounder. That made him easy to build around, and the San Antonio Spurs were dominant in three different decades because of him.
On the other hand, Garnett and Nowitzki were both prototypical players who changed how the game was played. Garnett was a seven-footer who could defend on the perimeter, lock down the paint, and carry an offense by facing up in the post or by nailing 18-footers. Garnett played similar to how a lot of bigs play in the NBA today, but 20 years earlier. The same could be said for Nowitzki, whose shooting ability led to the popularity of stretch fours, which then led to stretch fives.
Malone’s impact on the game is less evident. He didn’t drive winning the same way Duncan did, or change how the position was played. Instead, he was just really good at basketball for an incredibly long time. His longevity and durability are probably his greatest accomplishments and have only really been replicated by LeBron James.
He played nearly 1,500 games and averaged 25 points and 10 rebounds per game. For comparison, neither Duncan, Garnett, or Nowitzki had a career 20-point, 10-rebound average. Ironically, maybe that’s why Malone has been overrated by some. Ultimately, it comes back to the rings. Despite leading the Jazz to five Western Conference Finals, and back-to-back NBA Finals, he has no titles to show for it.
Had he won one, he’d have had more of a case for being a top 15 player all-time, but he didn’t. Look, Malone’s many contributions to the Jazz can’t be erased, but the idea that he’s underrated is overrated. All things considered, he’s fortunate to be properly rated in the NBA’s all-time hierarchy.
