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Jazz Flashbacks: Al Jefferson
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- Jazz Flashbacks: Al Jefferson
(Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports)
In the midst of the NBA preseason, I think it's time to bring back one of my favorite entries: the Utah flashbacks.
The Utah Jazz have high hopes this season. Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. look to be the league's most dominant one-two punch in the frontcourt, but I want to go back in time and highlight someone who was the last Utah player to be an elite low-post threat: Al Jefferson.
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By the time the Jazz traded for Al Jefferson in 2010, they were acquiring him to replace Carlos Boozer, who had left the Jazz's frontcourt.
Utah sent Kosta Koufos and two future first-round picks to Minnesota for Jefferson, who was entering his prime years. Jefferson had been the leading scorer for Minnesota the previous three seasons.
Al Jefferson's game is best described as before his time. He never dunked on anybody and never made any highlight reels.
He earned his stripes with his crafty footwork. A jab step here, a pivot there and a drop-step of doom to overpower defenders and flip his patented baby hook for two.
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Jefferson made the block his private property. Rarely did you see a turnaround jumper. Defenders knew the baby hook was coming and still couldn't stop it. In an era where the barrage of 3-pointers was around the corner, Big Al was a reminder that a 6-foot-10 patient big could still be elite.
Across three seasons in Utah, Jefferson averaged 18.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. He also played in 221 of a possible 230 games, being one of the most reliable players on the roster at the time.
His first season in 2010-2011 seems to be forgotten. Longtime coach Jerry Sloan resigned in February, and the Jazz traded All-Star point guard Deron Williams to New Jersey a few weeks later.
In the 2011-12 lockout-shortened season, Jefferson anchored a team that got back to the playoffs. It was supposed to be another rebuilding year, but Jefferson and Paul Millsap led the Jazz to the postseason, where they got swept by the San Antonio Spurs.
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The 2012-13 team did not make it to the playoffs, and that summer Jefferson hit free agency as Utah was gearing toward a younger core.
He signed with Charlotte, and the Bobcats-turned-Hornets got the best version of him: an All-NBA Third Team season in 2013-14 that finally earned him national respect that had already been seen for three seasons in Utah.
Looking back as we head into the 2026-27 season, Jefferson offered a glimmer of light in an in-between era in Utah. Before him came the John Stockton and Karl Malone years. After him came Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. While he never won a playoff series, he held the franchise together the same way he held the paint.
