Top 50 Utah Jazz Players Countdown: #43 Howard Eisley
Aug 24, 2023, 11:39 AM
Howard Eisley #10 of the Utah Jazz looking on during the game against the Golden State Warriors (Photo: Getty Images)
(Photo: Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – The countdown for KSL Sports 50 greatest Utah Jazz players continues on, and coming in at number 43 is trusty point guard Howard Eisley.
Leading up to the tip-off of the 5oth season in Jazz history, Jake Scott and Ben Anderson have been counting down the top 50 players in franchise history as voted on by fans and the media.
Here’s a look at Howard Eisley’s career with the Jazz.
Jazz 50: Rank No. 43 – Howard Eisley
Signed by the Jazz as a free agent after his 1994-95 rookie season, Eisley quickly found his way into the rotation on a veteran-laden roster.
Eisley became John Stockton’s primary backup early in his first season with the team and would go on to develop into one of the best second-unit guards in the NBA.
By his third season in Utah, Eisley was averaging 7.7 points, 4.2 assists, and 2.0 rebounds while shooting an efficient 44 percent from the floor and 40 percent from the three-point line.
#Jazz50: #43 on @JakeScottZone and @BensHoops
list of the greatest Jazz players is Howard Eisley.@utahjazz | #TakeNote | @utahcommunitycu pic.twitter.com/mTNVZ69QXm— KSL Sports (@kslsports) August 24, 2023
Rather than stick with the Jazz as Stockton’s heir apparent, Eisley was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in the summer of 2000 in a deal that saw forward Donyell Marshall land in Utah.
Over the next four seasons, Eisley would find mixed success as a part-time starter for the Mavericks and New York Knicks before returning to the Jazz for one season in 2004.
The Boston College product spent a total of 12 years in the NBA, but played his best basketball in Utah where he averaged 6.4 points, 3.4 assists, and 1.6 rebounds in 435 appearances, including two trips to the NBA Finals.
After wrapping up his playing career, Eisley served as an assistant coach in the NBA for nine seasons before joining the Michigan Wolverines staff in 2019.
