At 39 years old, well past the age when most NBA stars hang it up, Michael Jordan was still cooking one of the best defenders of his era: Kevin Garnett.
During his time with the Washington Wizards, Jordan delivered a scorching stretch against the Minnesota Timberwolves, scoring on four straight possessions with a surgical combination of skill, strength, and poise. It was a glimpse of why Jordan’s game, even at nearly 40, would dominate today’s NBA without question.
Wizards Michael Jordan scoring on Kevin Garnett for 4 straight possessions
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— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) July 14, 2025
The first bucket was classic MJ: a simple screen at the left wing created just enough separation, and Jordan rose for a mid-range jumper that hit nothing but net. The next play, he caught the ball on the left side, drove hard into the lane, and laid it in over the Wolves’ help defense, absorbing contact and still finishing.
Then came the explosion. Jordan blew by Garnett with a tight first step and threw down a thunderous one-handed dunk, electrifying the crowd and turning back the clock.
And he wasn’t done.
Jordan caught it on the wing next, backed down his man, rose up, and nailed a contested fadeaway jumper, the very shot that became his signature move. To cap it off, he then came off an inbounds play, pulled up from mid-range once more, and drew a foul.
In a span of minutes, 39-year-old Michael Jordan lit up a defense led by Kevin Garnett, a Defensive Player of the Year, perennial All-Star, and one of the most versatile bigs in history.
Now imagine that version of Jordan, but in today’s NBA.
In the modern league, Jordan wouldn’t be fighting through packed paint or clutch-and-grab defenders every possession.
He’d have elite spacing, more transition opportunities, and wide-open mid-range lanes thanks to spread pick-and-rolls. With defenses now more focused on guarding the three and protecting the rim, the mid-range game is often left open, and no one ever mastered it like Jordan.
He would punish drop coverage, annihilate soft switches, and feast on smaller wings who can’t match his strength or footwork.
The one knock people love to bring up is his three-point shooting. But here’s the truth: Jordan improved his range as he aged, shooting 37% from three in the 1995-96 season. He didn’t need to take a high volume because the game wasn’t built that way, but he could adapt, just like all-time greats do.
With modern spacing and shot development, MJ would be more than competent from deep, especially with how open today’s looks are.
In any era, greatness rises. And watching a 39-year-old Jordan torch Kevin Garnett is all the proof anyone needs.
Prime MJ in today’s league? That’s 35 points a night minimum with surgical footwork, deadly mid-range mastery, and enough swagger to dominate every single night.
