Michael Jordan is best known for his elite scoring ability. MJ had a complete game, he was an elite defender, made key passes, and had the clutch gene, but what truly set him apart as the GOAT was his ability to absolutely destroy defenses on his own and drop 40+ points seemingly at will.
Early in his career, MJ was accused by analysts at times of trying to do too much by himself. People said that he didn’t pass enough or create enough for his teammates to be part of a winning culture, but early in his career, he didn’t even have the right amount of talent around him to do so. Once he got that and he figured out a way to play with the team in Phil Jackson’s legendary system, it resulted in 6 championships in 8 seasons for the Chicago Bulls.
And it was a game in one of the years they didn’t win, just after Jordan had recently returned from his first retirement that showed exactly how proficient at it he had become. MJ scored 55 points in a win over the Knicks, an absurdly good performance, but it was his assist to Bill Wennington for the game-winner that became the center of attention after the game.
Interviewer: “You surprised people all over the world with 55 points but nice assist at the end.”
Michael Jordan: “Hey, don’t count on me to shoot it every time. I can pass.”
It was a sign of things to come. Jordan ended up kicking the ball out to Steve Kerr in Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz in 1997, which led to the title-winning shot from Kerr, even though Scottie Pippen’s take on it was quite cynical. MJ’s greatest ability was his willingness to do everything in his power to get the win, and once he started trusting his teammates, he dominated the league, a lesson for all young superstars in the league even today.
