Michael Jordan is the player all young ballers want to be every time they hoop. He was an inspiration for hundreds of millions of basketball players across the globe. Some of them just happen to have the chance to live up to the dream and make it to the NBA.
Needless to say, Jordan is still considered to be a God walking among men in the NBA. So even perennial All-Stars of the likes of Kevin Durant can’t help to talk about his greatness and how he’d still dominate in modern basketball.
Durant talked to Jay Williams to discuss several topics of Jordan’s career, including his skillset. So, when Williams asked Durant to rank Michael Jordan on various skills from 1 to 5, 1 being best, Durantula claimed that his mid-range shot would be his best trait.
“0. Better than 1. He was a pure shooter. Shooting 50+% from the field at the guard position shooting all Js, you have to be a pure shooter, and everything was touching bottoms. Gonna go 0 with that one. (…) He was one of the best shooters in NBA history” Durant stated.
Obviously, Jordan isn’t exactly remembered for being lethal from beyond the arc, although he holds a respectable 32% average from three-point land, but he averaged just 1.7 three-point attempts per game. Still, it’s hard to argue with Durant’s logic about his shooting.
Jordan was the ultimate master of the mid-range. He could do it all. Turnarounds, fadeaways, one-legged shots, bankers, layups, you name it. He was deadly inside the key and defenders didn’t have another choice but to collapse the paint, double or triple-team him and foul the living soul out of him. It didn’t matter, the shot was money anyways.
If you forced him left, he could still pull up. If you let him drive with his strong hand, it was a bucket. That’s why he’s the greatest player of all time. And yes, a very underrated shooter as well.
