Big Al Jefferson could have had an opportunity to rank higher on this list, if he hadn’t spent a mere three seasons as a member of the Utah Jazz. He may, in fact, be the best offensive center in Utah Jazz history.
His best season in Salt Lake City came in 2011-12, when he posted averages of 19.2 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. Jefferson would be a fish entirely out water in the modern NBA, because he was widely regarded as a throwback even in the (relatively recent) era he played in.
Realistically, only one player in Utah Jazz history can claim a wider array of moves on the low block, and he’s the second leading scorer in NBA history. Jefferson destroyed defenders with a range of crafty head fakes, pump fakes and spin moves before finishing with one of the league’s softest touches around the basket.
Indeed, he offered a nightly masterclass on how the game used to be played, and it worked. So, why isn’t he ranked higher on this list?
Well, besides the brief duration of his stay in Salt Lake City, Jefferson was not nearly the defender that most of the players on this list were (or are). Think of him as the inverse of Greg Ostertag. The 108 Defensive Rating he posted in his first season as a member of the Utah Jazz in 2010-11 is quite poor. The 103 and 104 marks he posted over the next two seasons signified improvement, but neither is a particularly inspiring figure, either.
Furthermore, the Jazz were not a very competitive club over the course of Jefferson’s stay. In his debut season, they went 36-30 in a lockout-shortened 2010-11, squeaking into the playoffs only to suffer a first round elimination. They would miss the playoffs in each of his next two seasons. Surely, Jefferson’s shaky rim protection didn’t do the team any favors.
Jefferson narrowly gets the nod over Ostertag because ultimately, offense is more important than defense. It’s simply difficult to say that Greg Ostertag was a better basketball player than Al Jefferson with a straight face.
Having said that, it’s equally difficult to give Jefferson a better ranking than this one in a list of the greatest centers in Utah Jazz history.