Michael Jordan and LeBron James’ GOAT debate will probably outlast multiple more generations in the league, considering how often it is brought up in the media.
One of the two facets of an inter-generational GOAT debate between two players who never faced each other is hypothetically judging one player’s performance in the other player’s era.
Max Kellerman, the famous NBA analyst who formerly worked with ESPN, recently recorded an episode of his podcast with Rich Paul where he made a bold claim about Jordan that brought out an interesting side of the debate.
“Michael Jordan in today’s game would average a 40-point triple-double, Rich,” said Kellerman (29:16 onwards) when Paul asked him which former NBA players he thought would thrive in today’s league.
“Now you’re out of your mind,” Paul said as he scoffed at Kellerman’s response.
“I’ll explain, Michael Jordan’s usage rate was way ahead of everyone else’s in his day. And today, the usage rate is higher for the primary guy. His usage rate would be through the roof; it would dwarf Luka’s or Harden’s,” Kellerman said.
“Sometimes people say things… So here’s the thing: MJ is my guy, and we have a great relationship. And I never ask him these things because whatever… But I do believe that sometimes, people say things that even he doesn’t believe,” Paul responded.
Kellerman argued that when you compare a player’s ability to achieve a triple-double in a game, you put the players in the point guard role as the primary ball handler.
Jordan played only one season (1988-89) as a true point guard, where he averaged 32.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 8.0 assists while shooting 53.8% from the field. Adjusting that as per today’s usage rate was Kellerman’s first argument for making his claim.
Secondly, he pointed to the three-point shooting before Paul further took a jab at Jordan’s jumpshot.
“He was a boring jump-shooter. Why would you talk about his outside shooting?” Paul interjected when Kellerman brought up the Bulls legend’s career three-point percentage (32.7%).
The former ESPN analyst further explained that in 1990, 1996, and 1997, when Jordan averaged at least three attempts from beyond the arc per game, his shooting percentages progressively improved.
If he shot eight to 12 attempts per game like today, given a higher usage rate, he would have a much higher percentage, argued Kellerman.
“MJ would be no less than a 37% to even a 40% three-point shooter if he were focusing on that part of his game,” he further added. “What does 32-8-8 turn into?” Kellerman questioned Paul under the pretense of the increased usage rate and assumed rise in efficiency.
“You’re still missing a major point. You’re basing this as if people still consider the pecking order. These kids today are not bowing down to anybody. They’re not just gonna sit around and let you shoot every shot,” Paul said.
“In today’s NBA, guys are coming in, and they’re not caring as much as you think about who you are and what you did. Because in their mind, ‘I’m the guy’ too,” the Klutch Sports’ CEO further argued.
He agreed that Jordan would average 40 points per game, but going as far as a triple-double would be too much.
But Kellerman persistently argued a logical point: if he averaged 32 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists in one season with a much lower usage rate, if you adjust that with a higher efficiency from beyond the arc and overall usage rate, he could easily average a 40-point triple-double. Now here’s where Rich Paul’s argument seems a bit biased.
Paul represents several players in today’s league, including his close friend, LeBron James, who is at the epicenter of the GOAT debate with Jordan.
Furthermore, his argument completely ignores how the defense has evolved over the years and the league’s rules have become more friendly for the offensive player.
Therefore, in both contexts, young players on his own team not falling in line and young players on the opposing teams not letting him get his way by putting the clamps on him defensively, Paul’s argument seems a bit flawed and biased to me.
In my opinion, Kellerman is closer to being accurate than Paul in this hypothetical debate. Jordan could certainly pull off one or two seasons of a 40-point triple-double. Whether or not for multiple seasons is a different question, but he could certainly do it in his prime if the game were different in his era.
