Utah Jazz: the 5 greatest individual seasons in franchise history

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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Adrian Dantley of the Utah Jazz (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

4. Adrian Dantley – 1983

Within Jazz history, Adrian Dantley is one of, if not the single most underrated player, as he was an absolute star for the team in the early 80’s before moving onto NBA Championship success and glory in Detroit. A 6’5″, 205 pound forward, Dantley was capable of playing on both ends of the floor, but upon becoming a member of the Utah Jazz franchise, immediately became a dominant force on the offensive end of the floor.

His best season in Utah came early in his run with the team, as the 1983 season saw him put up 31 PPG, along with 5 assists and 6 boards per game, and it’s just very unfortunate that this came at a time before John Stockton or Karl Malone joined this iconic franchise.

Dantley’s seven year run in Utah is often overshadowed by the iconic duo that came the decade after him, but during his run, he worked overtime to put the Jazz on the map, as their early days in New Orleans left plenty to be desired. The Jazz were still in the early days of putting this franchise on the map, but Dantley was a standout, with all the skills it would take to succeed in the NBA, and it was a run that deserves way more recognition from wider NBA fans.