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Utah Jazz: the 5 greatest individual seasons in franchise history

Nathan Smith|
Jeff Hornacek (L), John Stockton (C) and Karl Malone (R) of the Utah Jazz watch the final seconds of game three of their Western Conference semi-final against the Portland Trail Blazers 22 May 1999 at the Rose Garden in Portland OR. The Trail Blazers beat the Jazz 97-87 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. (ELECTRONIC IMAGE) AFP PHOTO/Robert SULLIVAN (Photo by ROBERT SULLIVAN / AFP) (Photo credit should read ROBERT SULLIVAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Jeff Hornacek (L), John Stockton (C) and Karl Malone (R) of the Utah Jazz watch the final seconds of game three of their Western Conference semi-final against the Portland Trail Blazers 22 May 1999 at the Rose Garden in Portland OR. The Trail Blazers beat the Jazz 97-87 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. (ELECTRONIC IMAGE) AFP PHOTO/Robert SULLIVAN (Photo by ROBERT SULLIVAN / AFP) (Photo credit should read ROBERT SULLIVAN/AFP via Getty Images)
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The Utah Jazz are a storied franchise, dating all the way back to their days in New Orleans, and throughout that time, we’ve seen plenty of amazing players, and even more incredible performances. A one off performance is one thing, but to sustain effort, intensity, efficiency, skill and everything else it takes to perform at the highest level for an entire season is another prospect entirely.

From insane scoring paces to defensive masterclasses to an all around game, the Utah/New Orleans Jazz have seen some amazing campaigns put together, but the following five are regarded as the ones that stand head and shoulders above the rest.

Authors note: In the interest of keeping things from becoming repetitive, we have decided to go with the five best seasons in Jazz history, from different players, limiting each player to one appearance with their best career year on this list, so as to not repeat ourselves 3-4 times. 

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – APRIL 08: Carlos Boozer speaks to the press before being honored by the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena on April 08, 2022 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – APRIL 08: Carlos Boozer speaks to the press before being honored by the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena on April 08, 2022 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)

5. Carlos Boozer – 2008

This one may not be one that modern day Jazz fans think of, but in 2007/08, Carlos Boozer was one of the most effective power forwards in the NBA, earning him a spot on the All-NBA team, even if he was on the Third team, behind teammate, Deron Williams. There’s a reason for that however, as Boozer came in behind four of the best names the game has ever seen: Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki and Tim Duncan, and even though Williams didn’t have bad competition, it just wasn’t as great as the names ahead of Boozer.

In his campaign, his fourth season in Salt Lake City, Boozer went to work as a bruising four with plenty of skills, putting up the best numbers of his career: 21 PPG, 10 RPG and 3 APG, and while the team couldn’t make a deep run into the playoffs, Boozer was just as effective when it mattered most.

Boozer’s 2008 season won’t go down in history like some others on this list, but given how most fans remember him as a role player later in his career with Chicago and LA, he deserves recognition for his great time spent with Utah, where he was up there with the best, among some incredibly iconic names.