In the NBA, there are many people who say that they just play basketball and don't want anything else, and in my eyes, there is only one player who really does "just play basketball and don't want anything else", and he is John Stockton.
Stockton's NBA career is very great, he won the assist king for nine consecutive years, 10 times inducted into the All-Star, Hall of Fame, 50 superstars, 75 superstars, Stockton are selected, but Stockton's sense of existence is really low, do not mention various records and honors, people can not think of him, the reason is that Stockton is too low-key, too focused on basketball, do not like to express themselves in front of people, this article will talk about John Stockton.
The style of the ball is stable, the ball quotient is extremely high, and he is the point guard who plays the ball
In terms of running and jumping, Stockton's talent is not strong at all, 1.85 meters tall, the arm span is not long, the hands are not large, the jump is not high, the speed is not fast, with the talent to choose players, Stockton must not be able to enter the NBA.
Although the running is not fast, the jump is not high, but Stockton has a good brain, a high ball quotient, a wide field of vision, a good view of the overall situation, in addition to not being able to run and jump, Stockton's other physical talents, Stockton performed very well, for example, his coordination is good, good physical endurance, these are a top point guard must-have things, with these, coupled with Stockton's hard work, Stockton to become a good point guard is a matter of course.
On the pitch, Stockton never plays tricks, every action is simple to the extreme, when passing, he never shows off, although his passing skills are enough for the average player to learn for a lifetime, Stockton's style of play can be said to be accurate with a steady description, and Stockton uses "control" to describe his style, which describes Stockton's duties on the field.
As a point guard, Stockton dominates the overall situation on the court, how the Jazz attack, what routine to play, all depends on how Stockton decides, and on this rapidly changing court, Stockton's biggest goal is to control the team, let the team not be chaotic, make fewer mistakes, steadily play the routine, let the opponent's defense line fail, in controlling the team, Stockton has done the ultimate, under his leadership, the Jazz is like a battleship full of mechanical mechanisms, no matter how big the waves, this battleship can run steadily, If you don't capsize, you won't stand still.
In terms of controlling himself, Stockton has done it to the extreme, which is manifested in mistakes. It is normal for point guards to hold the ball the most, pass more passes, and make more mistakes, but Stockton is not like this, Stockton career 10.5 assists 2.8 turnovers, assist errors than 3.75, very few mistakes, let Stockton lead the Jazz offense, will be very smooth, will not be because of mistakes, resulting in offensive rhythm disconnection, so that the team's offense becomes difficult.
Stockton is the most perfect point guard in the eyes of the academic coach, to the ball skills and ball quotient he has, to give him organizational tasks he can give you to complete, and, the style of the ball is not fancy, will not be caused by playing a fancy work and lead to mistakes, let the coach call a pause, scold, wake up, but in the eyes of the fans, Stockton is a white cloth, no brilliant color, not attractive at all, he will move, you can do, and he can find the timing of the pass, but you can not learn, watch such people play, It's like watching a waterfall cascading down, and you can't do much but marvel at his greatness.
Because of this steady and simple style of play, Stockton has a lot less fans, and his low profile as a person makes his sense of existence low to the point where it can't be lowered.
NCAA 83-84 season, Stockton averaged 20.9 points and 7.2 assists per game, arguably one of the best point guards in that rookie, if the talent is better, it is a proper lotto show, that is, the loss of talent, Stockton was selected by the Jazz with the No. 16 pick, on the day of the draft, jazz fans heard the team's selection, involuntarily issued "who? The question, people do not know who he is, Stockton's popularity is so low, not that the reporter ignores him, but that Stockton is unwilling to say more to the media, Stockton put the phrase "can not meet without meeting" to the end, in addition to the necessary media interviews, Stockton does not meet with the media more, which leads to people know very little about him.
Stockton's style, from the moment he entered the NBA, until he left the NBA, he has always been like this, he is really the kind of player who just plays and doesn't want to be another player, he said: When you play basketball, you can't think, you're just doing the right thing. In life, he never reads newspapers about himself, he says, "Reading what other people say about me affects my self-perception." ”
Playing is a hobby for Stockton, a job, talking to the media, using his popularity to make a brand, going into business, that's not what he should do, he's looking for his own happiness in his own world. Stockton has a non-ostentatious personality, but is not a "stuffy gourd", he loves to drive fighter jets, find happiness in the sky, and he also bought a fighter jet so that he can feel the feeling of sitting in a fighter plane at any time.
Stockton, a point guard with a steady style, no publicity, and only focused on playing, used all his energy to fight in the NBA for 19 years, leaving a very brilliant NBA career.
Sharpened for three years and became the league assist king
In the '84 draft, the Jazz selected Stockton with the No. 16 pick, when Stockton, a young white boy, did not know anything about the NBA, and needed to find his role in the game. In his rookie season, Stockton was a backup point guard on the team and took on a lot of tasks on the court, while Stockton performed well, averaging 5.6 points, 1.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game, completing his task.
For the next two seasons, Stockton was a backup point guard in the team, but the opportunities were increasing, and by the third season, Stockton had averaged 7.9 points, 8.2 assists and 2.2 steals per game, Stockton had the ability to be the starting point guard, and in the 87-88 season, Stockton was put into the starting lineup by the Jazz and became the brain of the team. Playing as a substitute for three years, Stockton has a very good understanding of the Jazz's system, the habits and characteristics of his teammates, what he lacks is an opportunity, and when the opportunity comes, Stockton's performance is naturally very exciting.
Against the Blazers, Stockton contributed 17 points, 26 assists, 2 steals and 3 rebounds, against the Nuggets, Stockton contributed 24 points, 20 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals, throughout the season, Stockton sent 20+ assists in 7 games, assisted doubles games reached 63 games, averaging 14.7 points, 13.8 rebounds and 3 steals and 2.9 rebounds per game, this performance can be described as very wonderful, in the league assist list, Stockton ranked first, pressure Magic, Thomas and other predecessors, elected the king of assists.
After being elected assist king, Stockton was reborn as an excellent point guard, he won the assist king for the next eight seasons, this achievement, the only one in the entire NBA, while completing a personal breakthrough, Stockton also led the Jazz forward, helped the Jazz become a top player in the West, and achieved the best results in team history.
A kill to send the team to the finals
In the 96-97 season, Stockton is 34 years old and is already a veteran, but he is full of energy, the Jazz are stronger, they have the strength to rush the championship, in the regular season, they played well, embarked on the playoff journey. The playoffs eliminated the Lakers and Clippers consecutively, reached the division finals, and competed with the Rockets for the chance to play the Finals.
This Rockets, the lineup is very luxurious, there are Olajuwon, Barkley, Drexler, Jazz and Rockets to fight, but also not easy, after the Jazz won two games, the Rockets counterattacked, also won two games in a row, the Battle of King Mountain, Stockton contributed 17 points and 6 assists, helped the team win, took the match point, the sixth game, became the Rockets' life and death battle.
In the life and death battle, the Rockets played very hard, at the end of the fourth quarter, the Rockets mastered the initiative, at this time, the Jazz's Russell hit 2 three-pointers first, sounded the horn of the counterattack, and then, Stockton shined on the scene, he first won the free throws, two free throws, and then two consecutive shots to the basket, completed a difficult layup, and leveled the point difference.
Stockton's wave of scoring climax came too quickly, the Rockets were caught off guard, they immediately called a timeout, laid out a new tactic, after the timeout came back, Barkley scored 2 points, Stockton side then responded to the opponent, he took the ball into the inside line, leaned on the opponent to score 2 points, the score was drawn again, the game once again entered the timeout, after the timeout came back, the Rockets' offense lost hand, leaving the Jazz 2.8 seconds, just these 2.8 seconds gave Stockton a chance to perform.
The referee whistled, the Rockets sent a sideline ball, Malone and Stockton played a match, Malone blocked Drakesler who chased Stockton, Stockton took the ball near the midfield, he took the ball forward, directly shot three points, Barkley saw this, quickly pounced on it, in fact, it was too late, Stockton shot very easily, the ball fell directly into the bag, the lights were on, the game was over, Stockton completed the kill, sent the Jazz to the Finals.
Stockton, who has always been calm, couldn't help it this time, he bounced, smiled happily, and hugged his teammates, Stockton played in the NBA for many years, reaching the Finals for the first time. The opponent of the Jazz Finals is the Bulls, facing the Bulls' defense, Stockton played little space, performed well, averaging 15 points, 8.8 assists, 2 steals and 4 rebounds per game, but Stockton's performance was not Stockton's best performance, the Jazz eventually lost to the Bulls by a big score of 2-4, failed to win the championship, Stockton's trip to the Finals ended in a failed championship.
Failed again and ended up in Salt Lake City
In the 97-98 season, the 35-year-old Stockton and the Jazz once again launched an impact on the championship, once again embarked on the journey of the playoffs, in the West, the Jazz did not encounter a difficult opponent, Stockton played well, the Jazz once again reached the Finals, the opponent is still the Bulls, after 6 games can be fierce, the Bulls defeated the Jazz by a 4-2 score, the Jazz once again failed to rush the championship, and the Bulls completed the three consecutive championships.
Two consecutive years of failed to rush the championship, so that the Jazz are seriously injured, the distance from the championship is getting farther and farther, Stockton is getting older, the performance is declining, but unlike the free fall of other players, Stockton's performance is slowly declining, and in injury management, Stockton has also achieved the ultimate.
In the 99-00 season, the 36-year-old Stockton averaged 29.7 minutes per game, played the entire season, contributed 12.1 points, 8.6 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists, which can still be called excellent in the league.
Stockton is getting older, and the Jazz have no new stars, from Stockton to take over the responsibility of organizing the team, the Jazz fell into the situation of eating the old Ben, "Utah double" Stockton and Malone became the last façade of the Jazz, in the Jazz to win the championship, it is impossible, for other players, may choose to leave, join a team that can win the championship, contribute their own part, Carl Malone did this, but Stockton did not do this, he chose to put his last good time, stay in the Jazz, Stay in Salt Lake City.
In the 02-03 season, Stockton, who is already 40 years old, averaged 27.7 points per game, averaged 10.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game, in the league assists list, Stockton ranked fifth, Stockton if he wants to play, he can still continue to play, his body is not injured, but Stockton has played enough, he wants to leave.
On June 7, 2003, Stockton held a very brief farewell ceremony, can have this ceremony, or others suggested, if according to Stockton's idea, after he sent that brief retirement statement, he left the NBA, to live his own small life, after the ceremony was completed, Stockton left the stadium, his NBA career is completely over.
Stockton has played in the NBA for 19 years, got 9 assist kings, 2 steal kings, ten all-Stars, five times to the best defensive team, 11 times to the best team, scored 19711 points, gave 15806 assists, completed 3265 steals, in the assist king and steal list, Stockton is the first, this is not nothing, surprisingly, the gap between Stockton and second place, assists, ahead of second place Kidd 3715, steals, 581 ahead of second-place Kidd, it's hard to tie Kidd, and it's really hard to tie Stockton, and Stockton's assists and steals record can be kept for a long, long time.
With these honors and records, Stockton was retired from the jazz after retiring, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame, 50 superstars, 75 superstars.
Write at the end
After retiring, Stockton hardly appeared in public, he focused on his life, driving fighter jets, going to the university team as a coach when he had time, teaching children to play, if it were not for this 75 event, Stockton might not have appeared. Stockton is 59 years old, in good health, and wishes him happiness and freedom to live the life he wants.