The best Utah Jazz players of all-time has become a hot topic lately. Yeah, it's that time of the season where because nothing happens, we have to come up with Jazz topics to talk about. With all the buzz going around, one Jazz legend got the props he deserved on an all-time ranking: Mark Eaton.
When people talk about the best Jazz defender in team history, the name that immediately comes up is Rudy Gobert, and for good reason. He's not just perhaps the most accomplished Jazz defender the team has ever had, but one of the best rim protectors in NBA history. However, Eaton makes the topic of the best Jazz defender debatable.
Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey made a case for Eaton while ranking him as the best seven-foot-four player to ever play in the NBA.
"And after his 11-year career, he retired as the all-time leader in career average for blocks per game (an honor he still holds) and multi-time Defensive Player of the Year winner," Bailey wrote.
"Eaton averaged more than four blocks per game in four different seasons. And in 1984-85 alone, he led the league in both defensive rebounds (8.8) and blocks (5.6) per game."
It's an unorthodox list for sure, but the fact remains that Eaton was an excellent basketball player whose calling card was what he could do on defense. His efforts played a hand in putting the Jazz on the map in the 80s and 90s. He may have made only one All-Star team, but his impact on the court was not forgotten by the franchise, as they retired his number not too long after his retirement.
The Jazz may have achieved more during the Karl Malone and John Stockton era after Eaton's retirement, but that doesn't take away from the legacy he made for himself in Utah. All these years later, Eaton, who passed away in 2021, absolutely deserves to get these props.
Eaton's ranking is more impressive than you think
Eaton may not have been a superstar, but he made his mark both on the Jazz and the NBA! There haven't been that many players who are seven-foot-four, but there have been some quality players around that height.
That includes Ralph Sampson, an excellent NBA player whose prime was cut way too short, Rik Smits, who was an excellent stretch big that factored into plenty of the Indiana Pacers' successful playoff runs, Boban Marjanovic, who was better as an internet meme than as an NBA player but still had a solid career, and the only current player at that height, Zach Edey.
Eaton getting the nod reflects more on the kind of player he was. It's been over 30 years since he last played, but he deserves any posthumous recognition he can get.