Who is the best guard in Jazz history: Stockton or Maravich?

The Utah Jazz can claim a rich history of individual success, and despite never winning a title they are consistently one of the better teams in the league. The Jazz can claim nine Hall of Famers. Stockton, Malone, Maravich, and Dantley all had stellar careers with the Jazz, and Gail Goodrich, Rick Adelman, Walt Bellamy, Spencer Haywood, and Bernard King all suited up at one point or another for the Jazz, even if they left their mark elsewhere.

It’s hard to take any other stance: Karl Malone is the best Jazzman in history. John Stockton and Pete Maravich were both amazing in their own right, but Malone clearly takes the cake. With that being said, how much of a gap is there really between Stockon and Pistol Pete?

For starters, a Hall of Fame career separates the two. Stockton has an additional five All-Star and seven All-NBA selections. That alone is about as much as Blake Griffin has accomplished, and he was a star for several seasons.

Utah Jazz: There is a massive gap between Stockton and Maravich

On top of that, Stockton was a brilliant defender and the single best playmaker ever. Neither ever won a ring, but Stockton has two appearances to Maravich’s zero, so that is also a bit of an advantage. Both are undoubtedly top-75 players ever, and while Stockton has the clear edge, Pistol Pete still deserved his flowers.

For starters, Maravich never played with a star in his prime while on the Jazz. When knee injuries caught up to him, Adrian Dantley finally became the player we remember, but for most of his career, Maravich was alone. The New Orleans/Utah Jazz never had a winning season while Maravich ran the show, although it was not for lack of effort.

Maravich was, until Larry Bird emerged, the best scorer ever who was not a big man. He led the league in scoring in 1977 with 31 points per game, which is absurd even by today’s standards. He was not a poor defender, he could score from everywhere, and basically played a game similar to Kyrie Irving, just 50 years too early.

Again, Stockton is the better player. He is still the greatest passer ever, a top-tier defender, and was the glue that held the Jerry Sloan/Karl Malone Jazz together during the Jordan years. Granted, Stockton got to stay healthy and play longer, but longevity matters. Plus, he was a winner in the West, while Maravich was just a great player on a bad team.

The only way one could possibly argue that Maravich is a better all-around player is by considering his contribution to the game. When centers were still dominating, Maravich had the best handles of anyone we had ever seen, aside from maybe Bob Cousy. Undersized for the era he played in, Pistol Pete took a big boy’s game and made it his own.

I would argue that Maravich pioneered the game, and Stockton helped perfect it. At the end of the day, one is clearly better than the other, but that doesn’t mean both can’t be great. Pistol Pete never played with a star like Stockton did, which assuredly helps his case, but winning and health matter. Maravich left his legacy and is deserving of all his accolades, but there is a bigger fish in the all-time Jazz backcourt.