NBA: 5 Former Utah Jazz Players That Should Mentor the Young Guys

With the addition of two draft picks in two consecutive years, a mid-season trade for a rookie, and possibly the loss of two of their most experienced players through free agency, the Utah Jazz have become a young, inexperienced team that is in need of veteran leadership.

While they may not be able to gain that leadership in players who will be on the court, there is another way that the team can benefit from more experienced players that can teach them everything they need to know about playing and living in the NBA.

As a former Jazz player, head coach Tyrone Corbin needs to tap into a resource that the Jazz have not often used.

Sure, they have had Jeff Hornacek come back to work on shooting with Andrei Kirilenko and others over the years, but it is time to have other former players return to work with the team as well.

The following slides will discuss possible Jazz greats of the past who should come back to teach the current team a thing or two that they picked up over the years.

They have the resources, they just need to use them.

John Stockton: Utah Jazz Point Guard, 1984-2003

John Stockton spent 19 seasons with the Utah Jazz. He ran the offense and played his way into being one of the top point guards in league history.

He holds the all-time NBA records in career assists and steals. He is a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and led his team to the NBA Finals twice.

Skills he can he teach the young players: The list of things that the current players could learn from Stockton is endless. He is a a good example of toughness, professionalism, and how to play in the league for a very long time.

Stockton's presence would not only benefit the point guards on the team by teaching them how to better play the position, but he could be a great mentor for all of the players.

The best role he could play in helping is to share his court vision and awareness and to help slow the game down and have players recognize the options they have, and the best times to use them.

Perhaps he can be one that breaks down the game film and helps the team to better read the game as he did so well for his entire career.

Anytime you can have a Hall of Famer present to share his knowledge on the game, it has got to be a good thing.

Mark Eaton: Utah Jazz Center, 1982-1993

As a two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and 1989 All-Star, Mark Eaton knows a thing or two about interior defense.

He was drafted by the Jazz with the 72nd pick in the 1982 draft and spent his entire career in Utah.

"Big Mark" was one of the most dominant defensive centers in NBA history. He ended his career with 3,064 blocks. He is currently ranks fourth all-time on the blocked shots list. 

Skills he can he teach the young players: Despite the fact that the NBA style of play has evolved since the time that Eaton was in the middle, he can still be a valuable asset in teaching interior defense.

Eaton was not known for the spectacular block that ended up in the third row, but he altered thousands of shots and was able to keep possession on many of his blocks.

He would help the Jazz by working with Enes Kanter and Derrick Favors, and Al Jefferson to find the defensive positioning and patience needed to be a force in the middle, alter shots, grab rebounds and be able to match the height, size and intensity of other teams in the Western Conference.

Eaton will not have to work on offensive skills. He only averaged six points per game over his career. There is another former player that can do that.

Matt Harpring: Utah Jazz Forward, 2002-2009

Matt Harpring played with the Jazz for seven seasons, where he earned a reputation as a tough, hard working player who could come into a game and give the team instant hustle, energy, and solid shooting.

In the best season of his career, and with the Jazz, he averaged just over 17 points per game, and backed down from no one.

Skills he can he teach the young players: The most important thing he can work with the small forwards and shooting guards on is making the jump shot off the curl that is from the corner of the free throw line.

Harpring made a living with this shot and at times was nearly automatic with it.

Imagine if he were able to get Gordon Hayward, C.J. Miles, and Alec Burks to hit that shot with consistency.

It would not only open up the offense, but it would keep defenses honest and allow more opportunities to get the ball into the post.

He would also be beneficial in teaching players how to hustle, dive on the floor, and do the little things needed to win.

With his current job as one of the Jazz television commentators, he should not have a problem getting close to the team and helping them out.

Antoine Carr: Utah Jazz Forward-Center, 1994-1998

Antoine Carr played only a short time for the Utah Jazz, but he had a positive impact on the team.

Carr was a key role player and the first man off the bench for the Jazz teams that made it to the NBA Finals in the 90's.

The original "Big Dawg" was known for his toughness and his physical play. He was not afraid to put a body on anyone coming into the paint.

His tough play off the bench was a needed support to Karl Malone and he was willing to play behind Greg Ostertag to help the team win.

Skills he can he teach the young players: Carr would teach them toughness, toughness, and more toughness.

With the number of low post players the Jazz could potentially have on their roster, some of them would do well to distinguish themselves by becoming tough defensive stoppers rather than focus only on offense.

Jazz fans have seen enough of the Carlos Boozer "matador defense" that players seem to hold on to.

Millsap, Jefferson, and Kanter would do well to work with someone like Carr who could not only teach them to make players think twice about driving the lane, but also how to accept a role that may not give the the amount of playing time they all feel they deserve.

Karl Malone: Utah Jazz Power Forward, 1985-2003

Karl Malone played all but one of his 19 seasons with the Utah Jazz.

During his career, Malone was a two-time league MVP, a 14-time All-Star, and ended his career second on the all-time scoring list with 36,928 total points.

As one of the most dominant and best power forwards to ever play in the NBA, the Jazz would be wasting an opportunity not to use the help he can offer.

Skills he can teach the young players: Like John Stockton, having Karl Malone return to help the team is a no-brainer.

When the lockout ends, the timing for Malone to come and work with the young front court players is perfect. Even Millsap and Jefferson, who have been in the league for a while, will learn a thing or two.

How great would it be for the Jazz if Derrick Favors could how to hit the 10-15 foot baseline jumper the way Malone did? How would Jefferson or Kanter look on the pick and roll if they learned it the Karl Malone way?

He could teach all of them all aspects of the game and would be a great example to everyone.

Just having the influence of Karl Malone on this team would help immensely. Hopefully he got along well enough with Tyrone Corbin when the two played together that he would let him be a part of this Jazz team.

Tyrone Corbin and his coaching staff have a lot of work to do with the team and would be smart to have these former players work out at help the young guys.

They have a lot knowledge and experience to share, and having these five former players help out would help them develop much more quickly.

Chris Johstoneaux is a contributor to Bleacher Report who usually covers the NBA and Major League Soccer. If you liked this article, please take a moment to leave me a comment and follow me on Twitter @JazzRSLExaminer.