The Utah Jazz may be one of the 11 NBA teams that have never won a championship, but the franchise is still one of the perennial contenders in the league because of their multiple playoff campaigns since joining the NBA in 1974. Utah came up short of maximizing their NBA championship odds in 1997 and 1998 after the Chicago Bulls defeated them in the NBA Finals.
Those trips to the Finals were mainly because of the players they selected through the draft. But who among the hundreds of players the Jazz picked are considered the best? Here are the three best Utah Jazz draft picks in team history:
Karl Malone
Karl Malone was selected as the 13th pick in the 1985 draft and was given the starting role during his first season. In his rookie year, he was able to average 14.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 2.9 assists to earn his spot in the 1986 NBA All-Rookie 1st Team. After a stellar first year in the league, Malone became a dominant force inside the paint and became Utah's main superstar for the next 18 seasons.
Karl Malone is the ONLY player in NBA history to be Top 10 all-time in points, rebounds and steals. #MailmanBirthday pic.twitter.com/DsYoLFfW0A