John Stockton holds four of the top five spots as an SPG leader for Utah.
John Stockton has dominated the record books in terms of assists. However, he also has been one of the most productive players in the Utah Jazz’s history in terms of steals. Let’s highlight the franchise’s top-five leaders in steals per game for a single season.
John Stockton, 1989, 3.2 SPG
The Jazz selected Stockton with the 16th pick in the 1984 Draft. Despite logging just 18 minutes per game during his rookie season, he averaged 1.3 steals. In 1988-89, he averaged 39 minutes while starting all 82 games. The boost in playing time helped him lead the league by averaging 3.2 steals per game. He also led the league in assists per game at 13.6. His stellar production resulted in him making his first All-Star team, being named All-NBA Second Team and finishing seventh in MVP voting.
John Stockton, 1992, 3.0 SPG
With his average of 3.0 steals in 1991-92, Stockton led the league in steals for the second time in his career. He also led the league again in assists with 13.7 of them per game. It was yet another campaign in which he appeared in all 82 games. He made the All-Star team, was named All-NBA Second Team and finished 12th in MVP voting.
John Stockton, 1988, 3.0 SPG
The 1987-88 season was the first time that Stockton became a regular starter. Prior to that, he didn’t average more than 24 minutes in any of his first three seasons in the league. With his starting role, he saw his playing time increase to 35 minutes a game. The result was him averaging 14.7 points, 13.8 assists and 3.0 steals per game. He was named All-NBA Second Team, finished eighth in Defensive Player of the Year voting, and 12th in MVP voting.
John Stockton, 1991, 2.9 SPG
Stockton had one of the best seasons of his career in 1990-91, averaging 17.2 points, 14.2 assists and 2.9 steals. He played in all 82 games again, averaging 38 minutes along the way. Although he didn’t lead the league in steals, he came in seventh for the Defensive Player of the Year, which was his highest finish for that award in his career. Stockton would eventually spend his entire 19-season career with the Jazz. Over 1,504 regular season games, he averaged 13.1 points, 10.5 assists and 2.2 steals.
Rickey Green, 1983, 2.8 SPG
Green played for the Warriors and Pistons before joining the Jazz in 1980. One of his best statistical seasons came in 1982-83 when he averaged 14.3 points, 8.9 assists and 2.8 steals per game. He made his lone career All-Star team the following season when he led the league by averaging 2.7 steals. Green played a total of 606 career regular-season games with the Jazz, averaging 11.4 points, 6.9 assists and 1.8 steals. In total, Green played for eight different franchises during his career.
