Michael Jordan in Today's League: Better or Worse?

[eeeeeebro]

better - Jordan is a GOAT free throw shooter and he is so fast only way to stop him is becoming physical. His star power will give him all benefit calls you cant look at Jordan wrong cause he is the face of the league you will get fouls called. Jordan will score more 40+ games than anyone in the league and lebron would be easily considered #2 in league

[plowking]

Usage isn't how long you hold the ball. Its just adds up all the things u do. I never said the Heat held the ball. I was replying to someone who said Mj was a ball stopper\iso player. The Bulls routinely averaged 20+ asts. Yea the offense went through Mj

MJ was an iso player.

Why do people paint this in a negative light? You want the ball in your best players hands as much as possible. My point in replying to your post was that YOU in fact tried to paint it in a negative light, when it isn't.

Sometimes it is best to hold the ball for as long as you need, while other times swinging the ball constantly is the way to go.

[SOD 21]

To the poster in this thread who said players no longer average 32 or 33 points per game, do you realize that Kevin Durant averaged 32 points per game in 2014 and averaged nearly 35 points from Christmas until the end of the season in 2014 when he was MVP?

To answer the original question in this thread, Michael Jordan would be the same today as he was in the 80s and 90s. In some ways, he could be even more dangerous by surrounding him with even better three-point shooters ( yes, I am aware that the Chicago team did have some excellent three-point shooters) to help space the floor even more and the lack of hand checking/physicality on the perimeter would make some things easier.

Jordan would still average 30 points per game on a very high efficiency and would likely be the best player in the league. Anyone who says differently is fooling themselves.

[sdot_thadon]

This fool here.




And MJ wasn't a shooter?

No.

In the sense of shooting the ball, sure he's a shooter. Hell, we all are. But in the basketball sense? No man.

[Legends66NBA7]

MJ was an iso player.

Why do people paint this in a negative light? You want the ball in your best players hands as much as possible. My point in replying to your post was that YOU in fact tried to paint it in a negative light, when it isn't.

Sometimes it is best to hold the ball for as long as you need, while other times swinging the ball constantly is the way to go.

True, I don't get the hate on ISO's today. It is true mediocre talent ISO'ing too much and having bad results should be avoided, but that's usually teams using these players out of necessity and lack of talent. Great talent is usually great on ISO's, along with many other factors in the game like passing, spacing, off ball movement, etc... to throw many counters at the defense.

[Beastmode88]

Imagine jordan getting calls like harden and kd... 60 ppg.

[sdot_thadon]

Imagine jordan getting calls like harden and kd... 60 ppg.

He'd never flail enough to get them.

[juju151111]

MJ was an iso player.

Why do people paint this in a negative light? You want the ball in your best players hands as much as possible. My point in replying to your post was that YOU in fact tried to paint it in a negative light, when it isn't.

Sometimes it is best to hold the ball for as long as you need, while other times swinging the ball constantly is the way to go.

You said he puts up slightly less points due to the emphasis on team play. Mj did what he did while his team averaged 20+ asts.

[miles berg]

He would approach 40 ppg in today's weak ass league. This is the weakest the league has been since the 70s, defense is almost non existent on top of a low, low talent level.

[feyki]

Better . 15 ftm per night.

[ShawkFactory]

Similar. He could score whenever he wanted in either era.

Depends on the team to determine if he has similar success.

[PJR]

He would approach 40 ppl in today's weak ass league. This is the weakest the league has been since the 70s, defense is almost non existent.

This is hyperbolic garbage lol.

[fpliii]

He wouldn't be worse. It's not as if his playstyle is one that wouldn't translate to today's game.

A three pointer isn't a huge boon to an on-ball offensive player's impact other than improving his efficiency (and MJ was already a beast in that regard). Off-ball for spacing reasons a three could be valuable, but consider some of the data we had last year on Wade's distraction and respect scores (gravity or whatnot). His man respected him a ton as a cutter. MJ's man wouldn't leave him open since he's a GOAT pull up vs drive threat before his first retirement (post up fadeaway heavy MJ was a different player, but that was an extremely high percentage shot).

Defensively without hand-checking it would be hard to play defense the same way for a lot of guys from the 80s/90s today, but MJ wasn't entirely dependent on it. He also had true guard quickness in the frame of a wing player, so he's going to stay in front of you, and you're not going to beat him off the dribble often. With improved defensive strategy/analytics today, you're giving Jordan additional knowledge, and you'd better bet he'd take advantage of it.

If you're going to judge somebody by his box score stats as better/worse, that's something else entirely. I don't know how MJ's box score would change, but it wouldn't make him a markedly different player if his per game numbers changed.

[SamuraiSWISH]

Every star perimeter player who was drafted in the mid 90s didn't have their career best scoring year until after the rule changes of the mid 00s. That was no coincidence. MJ, a superior player to them all by a comfortable margin, would not mysteriously and inexplicably buck that trend.

Captain Marvel with James Harden's FTr has at least 1 40 PPG season.

Bingo.

wyane Wade and Tony Parker, multiple champions/finals MVPs/scoring champion say hello. Their career 3s/gm in this era are identical to Jordan's in his. How much did not chucking 3s mindlessly hurt their efficiency? Check the $tats.

SERIOUSLY. Not shooting threes helps his efficiency and with a more open driving lanes due to spacing or defensive rules. Less physical contact ... prime / peak MJ is having a field day in the paint. Picture '93 Finals MJ for an entire season. 40 ppg seasons more than plausible.

[ralph_i_el]

Star players don't take as many shots today, because defenses are free to key up on one guy. He'd have less points, and probably more assists. He'd still be the best player in the league.

NO 40 POINT SEASON