Even years after he played, Stockton is still the best ever to play the point.
“Who’s the greatest?” is one of the most talked about questions in sports. In the NBA, the conversation is always a debate–Michael v. LeBron.
But let’s face it: many great position players never get into the conversation. And when it comes to picking the GOAT at point guard, my choice is John Stockton of the Utah Jazz. Here’s why.
Facilitation
Let’s start by answering a basic question: What’s the point for?
If you believe it’s the offensive focal point, then you won’t pick Stockton. But if you’re like me–a fan who believes that a point guard’s basic role is to facilitate the offense–then there’s no better choice (no other choice, period) than John Stockton.
By gosh, did he facilitate! Stockton averaged 10.5 assists per game over his career and was the league leader in assists a staggering nine times. When he led the NBA, Stockton always had an average of at least twelve dimes per game.
Stockton’s unique ability to facilitate–primarily to his big man, Karl Malone– was the primary reason the Jazz was a 1990’s NBA juggernaut.
Stockton ended his career as the NBA’s all-time assist leader with 15,806 total assists. The #2 guy on that list, 21-year vet Jason Kidd, had three thousand fewer assists!
There’s no question about it: Stockton was the NBA’s best-ever facilitator.
Steals
Courtesy: Spin-Web.com
There’s more. Stockton was not a one-dimensional player. At 6’1”, 170 pounds, he was an elite defender, one of the best pound-for-pound players of all time.
One measure of that was Stockton’s ability to steal the ball. Over 18 seasons he averaged 3.5 steals per contest.
What’s amazing about that accomplishment is that Stockton played during a brutal hitting, paint dominating era. Yet, he made the most of limited chances by becoming one of the league’s best pickpockets.
As with assists, Stockton ended his NBA career ranked first with 3,265 steals. Jason Kidd, again, finished second all-time, but he trailed Stockton by a wide margin — by nearly 600 steals.
Accolades
As far as individual accolades are concerned, Stockton had plenty. He ended his career with many awards, including 16 All-NBA selections.
But his team, the Jazz, was another story. Utah was never able to win a championship. It’s because the Jazz had Stockton and Malone but–to be honest about it–not much else. Jeff Hornacek was the only player to crack 11 points per game. Truth be told, the front office didn’t supply enough front-line players for Utah to win a crown.
Overall
The lack of team success shouldn’t overshadow what John Stockton was able to accomplish on the court. He’s the best point guard of all time, in my opinion. He did more with what he had–and was able to do it more consistently–than anyone in NBA history.
