NBA: Who is the best duo from each franchise’s history

Best duo from Utah Jazz: Karl Malone and John Stockton

Few two players have been more emblematic of a franchise the way Karl Malone and John Stockton are. If you peruse the Utah Jazz’s team records on Basketball-Reference or their official site, you’re likely to find Malone and/or Stockton at or near the top of most of those lists. Part of that is because they played for so long, but you’d be mistaken to cast them off as mere compilers, as their combined .209 WS/48 illustrates.

Though Stockton was far more conservative of a passer and shooter than his gaudy totals suggest, his speed and surprisingly quick first step made him a handful to deal with in transition and as a defender, though the “Jekyll and Hyde” dynamic to his game — as Ben Taylor puts it for Backpicks — was rooted in his slight stature.

"This dichotomy stemmed from Stock’s diminutive stature; he was listed at 6-foot-1, but played even smaller. He was bothered by larger defenders and struggled among the trees, both with his vision and scoring. He was even hesitant to enter the lane at times because he had a hard time scoring or passing when in there."

Of course, it helped to have a low post savant like Malone around to run pick and rolls with. “The Mailman” joined the team a year after Stockton — Malone was the 13th overall pick in 1985, Stockton was part of the famed 1984 class — but that granular difference had no effect on their cohesion.

With Malone and Stockton as the stars, Utah made the playoffs for 18 straight years with two NBA Finals appearances.