The NBA has changed a lot in the past 20 years, that’s not a secret, but still, you can’t help but be surprised when you learn how different things were at the start of the new millennium compared to the current state of the league.
Right now the biggest shot in the competition is the 3-pointer, which revolutionized the association and the way the game is played at this moment. The biggest proof of that is Michael Jordan and the way he played the game compared to the way it’s played in this era.
One Redditor found out that Michael Jordan alone in the 2001/02 season would rank fifth among teams in the NBA right now in mid-range shots. Not among players but among teams; that’s how different things are.
Even though it’s well known that the mid-range shot has been fizzling out, it’s still crazy how much the league has transformed in less than 20 years.
For context:
Most mid-rangers per game: 18.1 (Spurs and Magic)
Fewest mid-rangers per game: 6.2 (Jazz)
Most mid-rangers per game: 38.6 (Wizards)
Fewest mid-rangers per game: 23.1 (Celtics)
There are more than 20 points of difference between the most mid-rangers in 2001/02 and the 2020/21 season. As for the fewest, 17 points separate the Utah Jazz and the Boston Celtics. This is a big demonstration of how the league has evolved but it’s still interesting to know with numbers the changes it has suffered.
This season, the Orlando Magic and San Antonio Spurs are tied with 18.1 attempts per game, followed by the Washington Wizards (15.9) and Los Angeles Clippers (15.2). MJ would rank fifth on this list with his 15.1 attempts. There’s a reason why he’s the best mid-range shooter of all time.
Michael Jordan is often compared with current players, especially LeBron James. He has become a really good way to see how different the NBA is right now than when he played in the game, during the 90s and the early 2000s.
