Michael Jordan’s competitiveness is unmatched. He tried to be the best at everything he did, sometimes succeeding, sometimes struggling. But he never regretted not trying. That’s how he became a 6x NBA championship and one of the most honored players in league history.
He always tried to outdo rivals and be better no matter what. In recent times, many fans, analysts, and players have wondered how MJ would have fared if he played in this era. The league lives and dies by the 3-point, so he would have to make some changes to his game.
This wouldn’t be a problem for MJ, according to one of his former teammates, who was a shooter himself. Steve Kerr. The current Golden State Warriors head coach believes that Mike would have done everything in his power to become the greatest shooter of all time.
Via The Athletic:
What would Jordan, who attempted 1,778 3-pointers in his career, compared to 6,061 (and counting) for LeBron James and 5,546 for Kobe Bryant, be like in today’s game where 7-footers play like guards?
“Assuming he was in his prime playing today, I have no doubt he would have shot one million 3-pointers in practice and become a better 3-point shooter and a more high volume 3-point shooter,” Kerr said. “Besides that, he just would have been dominant emotionally, physically and spiritually, just like he was then.”
Kerr isn’t the only one who thinks Jordan would have been even better with today’s rules. Stacey King goes on and says that he would have scored 100 points in a single game.
Added former Bulls teammate Stacey King: “MJ’s game would have evolved into what the game is today because he became a better 3-point shooter as he got older. Before, he was so dominant with his athleticism that he could jump over everybody. He was much faster than everybody. And he was more explosive. So he didn’t have to rely on the 3-point shot. But I guarantee you MJ would have evolved in this game.”
Jordan was an evolutionary agent, bringing unbelievable wealth to the league and turning NBA players into 360-degree stars. He couldn’t exist in today’s game because the NBA is where it is because of him. But you can imagine what it would have been like.
“I think MJ would’ve had 100 points in this era,” King said. “Because if Kobe got 81, he would have had 100.”
Jordan was a scoring machine during his active days. He took things personally and unleashed all his power on rivals. He retired twice before hanging the boots for good, but many people believe that if he didn’t take a hiatus with the Bulls, he would have won more than six championships.
We’ll never know if that’s true or not, just like we don’t know if he would have become an excellent 3-point shooter now. Then again, knowing his mentality, it’s not hard to see Jordan hitting the gym night and day to become the best sharpshooter in the association.
