Former Jazz PG John Stockton Identifies the Distinctions Between the Modern NBA & His

The Hall of Famer has a few things to teach the Utah Jazz.

For the Utah Jazz, key players missing games has been a common occurrence. Lauri Markkanen will have missed 44 games in the previous two seasons; if Jordan Clarkson is out for the season, he will have missed 48 games overall.

Over 19 seasons, former Jazz great John Stockon missed just 22 games. How, therefore, did Stockton manage to maintain his status as one of the most resilient players in NBA history? When Stockton joined former NBA player Adam Morrison on The Perimeter Podcast, he spoke candidly about the subject. Even though the interview was conducted two years ago, the subject matter is still relevant to the experiences that Jazz fans have today.

“I’m returning tomorrow; I’m supposed to be out for six to eight weeks due to a sprained ankle. I can play on this, and it’s a little uncomfortable but totally stable and functioning. Thus, some wouldn’t put up with the discomfort associated with receiving treatment. I’m back after possibly a side adjustment, some muscle training, and an adjustment—which is frowned upon in the medical community. I keep watching it because it is scientific, but it falls short of the scientific standard that requires men to adhere to the medical model.

Yes, we do live in a different era, and it is most definitely not the standard to play all 82 games. Players are understandably cautious about playing through injuries given the diluted regular season, when games are less significant and tanking has become the standard.

The NBA is the only major sport where teams can predict early in the season which teams will make the playoffs. Thus, starting a postseason run healthy has taken precedence over seeding.

After the rebuild began last year, Jazz fans have become accustomed to the practice of tanking for draft position. Stockton hails from an era when Utah was consistently competitive. There was tanking back then (Tim Duncan), but in this day and age, it has undoubtedly reached an all-time high.

Going forward, nothing seems to be going to change anytime soon. The number of viewers has increased from the previous season, so until the fans give up on the game, don’t expect the bottom teams to compete for draft place.

Is this the Jazz’s solution? There seems to be disagreement among Jazz supporters on this issue. For their achievements this season, the Jazz were rewarded with a late first-round and early second-round pick. Additionally, they will not give the Oklahoma City Thunder their first-round pick for the current campaign. Even with poorer lottery odds, they would have probably retained it nevertheless. If it was worthwhile to cash in on the 2023–24 season, only time will tell.

Nevertheless, we may respect what Stockton and Karl Malone completed their Hall of Fame careers despite missing ten games during his career. It’s almost unlikely that the NBA will ever see another guy with those kind of stats.