- Michael Jordan is the greatest scorer ever but he only averaged 32.7% from the three-point line
- The GOAT once broke down exactly why he never focused on improving his three-pointer too much
- Michael Jordan said that focusing on three-pointers would take away from all phases of his game
The three-point line was introduced to the NBA in 1979, but it didn’t become as important as it is today till the 2010s. Michael Jordan is widely regarded as the greatest NBA scorer ever, and he averaged 1.7 three-point attempts per game for his whole career. He once explained why that was.
“My three-point shooting is something I don’t want to excel at because it takes away from all phases of my game,” Jordan said during the 1992 NBA Finals. “My game is fake, drive to the hole, penetrate, dish-off, dunk.
“When you have that mentality of making threes, you don’t go to the hole as much. You go to the three-point line and start sitting there, waiting for someone to find you. That’s not my mentality, and I don’t want to create it because it takes away from the other parts of my game.”
During the 1992 NBA Finals against the Portland Trail Blazers, Michael Jordan dominated Game 1 by simply pouring in three-pointers. He attempted 10 and made eight for the Chicago Bulls, even scoring 35 points in a half during that game. The fact that he could shoot it like that and chose not to is a slap in the face of his doubters who say he couldn’t have dominated the modern game.
Michael Jordan Shot The Three-Pointer At A High Level During The 1995-96 Season
Michael Jordan led the NBA in scoring on 10 occasions during his career, it’s absurd to say that he wouldn’t add the three-pointer to his arsenal if he played in today’s era. In fact, when it comes to elite NBA scorers and their best 3-point shooting seasons, Michael Jordan is third on the list. He averaged 42.7% on a respectable 3.2 three-point attempts per game during the 1995-96 season.
While the three-pointer can no longer be ignored in basketball, Michael Jordan’s point about not letting it narrow a player’s offensive game still stands. Stephen Curry is a unicorn, but the likes of LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo dominate the modern league even without an excellent three-point shot. Basketball has changed a lot since Michael Jordan’s prime in the 1990s.
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