He’s the all time leader in steals and assists, was a great shooter, and defender till about 94-95 somewhere in there.
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Yes, put any other great PG in a Jazz uni and let him play with Malone. And he might have the assist numbers Stockton did...if he were willingly to be subservient to Karl and sacrifice his game. And if he could maintain that consistency year after year.
But do the same for any other great PF. Put him in a Jazz uni and let him play with Stockton under Sloan's system, which ran the 1/4 P&R to death. Would that PF have similar offensive numbers to Karl in a system where the PF was the #1 option down the court every time?
In either case, the answer is maybe close for a few years, maybe several. But no, Stockton and Malone were two of the best ever and their games and personalities were a perfect fit. Malone made Stockton better. And the reverse is true; Stockton made Malone better.
Sure, longevity contributed to Stockton's overall totals...to put them pretty much out of reach. He AVERAGED 10.5 assists even taking into account his early career and late "decline." Or take his best 5, from '87-'92 when he averaged nearly 14. I really can't see anyone putting up those kind of numbers. Magic Johnson may have come close, but late career decline (had he played longer) would have decreased his average/per. CP3 is the closest today, but still, his averages, even accounting for him playing with Harden, would naturally be expected to decline.
Steals? Yes, longevity kept him at the top. It's likely Jordan would have passed him had MJ not taken his baseball break and played longer. But even if CP3 played another 7 years (to reach 20) he likely wouldn't surpass Stockton in steals. No one else is in the discussion.
Shooting? Stockton averaged 54%/38%. That's just incredible. Is it the best ever? Certainly not. For example, Steph Curry is at 51%/44%. Clearly, John wasn't an elite 3pt shooter. Then again, he played in an era when that wasn't the predominant emphasis. I'd also argue he played in an era when defenders could hand check and play more physical, making shooting tougher than it is today.
But longevity shouldn't be argued as a minus, or to somehow minimize what John did. If anything, it's a testament to his incredible achievements. He had the gaudy averages even when considering the age at which his skills should have declined steeply.
Regretfully, Utah - whether through the Miller's miserly ways, or whether through players just not wanting to play in the state - could never find the missing pieces to win a championship. But Stockton was truly one of the greatest PG's ever. Very best? Well, that's debatable. Magic was truly exceptional for 12 years, scoring included. But Stockton was very, very close.
