One of the biggest criticisms of Michael Jordan is that he wasn’t a team-oriented player. Jordan is arguably the greatest player of all time. But the facet of his game that was criticized the most was his ability to trust his teammates.
For the longest time, Jordan was the only reliable star for the Bulls. Because of how good he was, Jordan was often targetted on the offensive end. Most famously, the Detroit Pistons implemented a physical tactic called ‘Jordan Rules’.
Under ‘Jordan Rules’, the Pistons would take advantage of the lack of penalization of physical play to almost attack Jordan on the court. And because the Bulls had no one else to back Jordan up, the team would always lose to the Pistons.
But by the time the Bulls developed Scottie Pippen to All-Star level, the franchise was able to overcome the physical play of the Pistons. But aside from Pippen, Jordan didn’t feel as though he could rely on his teammates.
MJ was always insistent on taking the last shot and driving the offensive charge of the Bulls. But he would not pass the ball as much, especially before Phil Jackson arrived. His previous coaches insisted that Jordan be the focal point of the offense.
But that doesn’t mean that MJ couldn’t coordinate an offensive. The Bulls actually employed Jordan as a point guard for an 11-game stretch.
And during that stretch, Jordan proved that he could put up his usual numbers, while still running the rest of the offense.
In that period, ‘His Airness’ averaged 33.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 11.4 assists per game. Jordan effectively averaged a triple-double during that period. And on top of that, he was able to contribute to the Bulls winning.
Jordan showed during that period that he could perform in any role that he wanted to. While his scoring and defense were his primary contribution, MJ could just do it all on the court.
