MVPs: 2. Finals MVPs: 0. All-NBA 1st Team: 11. 2nd Team: 2. 3rd Team: 1. All Star: 14. MVP: 2.
Defensive POY: 0. All-Defense 1st Team: 3. 2nd Team: 1.
Career Averages: 25 PPG/ 10 RPG/ 4 APG/ 1.4 SPG/ .8 BPG/ .518 eFG%/ .742 FT%.
Best Season: 27/ 10/ 4/ 1.4/ .6/ .550/ .755 (1996-97).
Postseason Averages: 25 PPG/ 11 RPG/ 3 APG/ 1.3 SPG/ .7 BPG/ .463 eFG%/ .736 FT%.
Best Postseason: 29/ 11/ 3/ 1.4/ 1.2/ .521/ .805 (1992).
Championships: 0. Runner-ups: 2 (#1 player on both).
Why he's below John Havlicek: It's a little strange that Malone and the Jazz both peaked when he and Stockton were in their mid-30s. The league slowed way down around them, going from 96.6 possessions per game in the 91-92 season to 90.1 possessions per game when the Jazz first made the Finals in 1997. The Jazz went from one of the slowest paced teams to one of the fastest paced without having to change their playing style. Malone's consistency in that period is worth a top-20 spot, but I give his MVPs and Finals appearances slightly less weight than a player in his prime competing against opponents in their primes.
Why he's above the rest: Malone was not just consistently good; he was consistently great. Over a 13 year period, he averaged at least 25 points and 9 rebounds 12 times, missing only 4 total games in that span. He holds the record with 12 seasons scoring 2,000 points, which seems more and more difficult to break in the time of load management and handling stars cautiously in the regular season. He deserves a lot of credit for staying in shape and staying consistent long enough for the league to change and turn him into an MVP, and that's why I think he's the second best modern PF.
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