When I compiled my Top 15 Draft Picks in Utah Jazz History over the summer, I was effusive in my praise for former fourth-round pick Mark Eaton, who came in at No. 3 on the countdown. “If he lands with a perennial title contender of the Lakers or Celtics mold, he’s probably a Hall of Famer right now,” I declared, somewhat controversially.
Although Eaton ended up in small-market Salt Lake City, never captured a ring or averaged double-digit points over an 11-year career and currently holds a 0.1-percent chance of getting inducted according to Basketball Reference’s Hall of Fame probability calculator, Eaton may now be on the verge of capturing the sport’s highest individual honor.