2003-04 Utah Jazz record: 42-40, missed playoffs
The 2003-04 Utah jazz could be aptly described as a ragtag bunch. This was the franchise’s first season without their famed duo of Karl Malone and John Stockton, and as with any team entering into an entirely new era, expectations were reasonably low. Although this team missed the league’s postseason dance, their winning regular season record (the first we’ve covered in this article) exceeded those expectations.
Much of which can be attributed to the breakout campaign of Andrei Kirilenko. The 22-year-old wing posted an absurdly well-rounded 16.5 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.8 blocks and 1.9 steals per contest over the 2003-04 season. That was good for an equally outrageous 7.2 VORP.
Simply put, AK-47 was one of the best players in the entire NBA in 2003-04, an elite defensive wing who was named to the 2003-04 All-Defensive Second Team with a solid offensive game to boot.
Otherwise, Utah Jazz fan favorite Matt Harpring was second on this team in scoring, with 16.2 points and 8 rebounds per game. Outside of those two, this roster was somewhat unremarkable, although 22-year-old DeShawn Stevenson would go on to enjoy a solid NBA career.