Utah Jazz: The 50 greatest players in franchise history

All-time greatest Utah Jazz players: No. 12 Mark Eaton

• Seasons with the franchise: 11 (1982-83 to 1992-93)
• Regular-season games played: 875
• Averages as a Jazzman: 6.0 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.4 steals, 3.5 blocks
• Shooting percentages: 45.8 percent from the field, 64.9 from the foul line
• Playoff games with Utah: 74
• Postseason averages: 6.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.5 steals, 2.8 blocks

True, Mark Eaton spent all 11 of his years in the NBA with the Utah Jazz, amassing the most blocked shots in franchise history. The former fourth-round pick out of UCLA wrapped up his playing days with 3,064 rejections. That still puts him No. 5 in NBA history. And his 3.5 average for his career remains unmatched all-time.

Heck, Eaton ranked among the top three in the NBA in blocks in each of his first seven seasons as a pro. The 7-foot-4, 275-pound lefthanded tower peaked at a remarkable 5.6 blocks per game in 1984-85, and he put up a season average of more than four per game on four different occasions.

Plus, he twice averaged double-digit rebounds and twice took home Defensive Player of the Year (1984-85, 1988-89).

However, Eaton, a former auto mechanic out of high school whose lone All-Star nod came alongside teammates Karl Malone and John Stockton in 1989, never averaged double-digit points.