Utah Jazz fans remember John Stockton and Karl Malone like a kid remembers his favorite birthday present, or a happy couple remembers the moment they fell in love. The pair played together so symbiotically it was almost as though they shared a basketball court together in a past life.
And now, one NBA assistant coach is seeing the potential reincarnation of the famed Jazzmen in Denver Nuggets stars Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic.
Nuggets assistant David Adelman, who has coached in place of Michael Malone for the past two games, invoked Stockton and Malone on Tuesday after his team’s win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Murray and Jokic combined for 59 points against the Wolves.
“It’s like watching Stockton and Malone,” Adelman told reporters after Denver’s latest win. “It really is. It’s not like it’s a set — it’s just space. Two guys that understand each other, the chemistry there is so incredible. ... It’s fun to watch those guys play that two-man game because it’s not just one thing. It’s a million things at once.”
Stockton and Malone made the pick-and-roll famous. They are considered two of the greatest players of all time, despite them never being able to win a championship.
But when asked about the comparison, Murray’s response implied a little defiance, while also containing a nugget of demonstrable truth.
“I don’t know if Stockton could score like me,” Murray told reporters.
Stockton is currently No. 51 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list at 19,711 points. It took 19 seasons for him to get there. His career high in a game was 34 against the Sacramento Kings on March 17, 1990.
Murray is averaging 18.8 points this season. His career high is 50, which he scored on Feb. 19, 2021, against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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