Recently, former Warriors head coach Mark Jackson participated in a show, when the host asked him which player can contribute an average of 40 points per game in the small-ball era, Mark Jackson said: "There is no doubt that Michael Jordan can do this, as a passer-by, I never doubt Jordan's scoring ability, he can easily achieve the average score he wants. So can Jordan really average 40+ per game in the small-ball era?
Personally, I think that although Jordan's scoring ability is very strong, it is basically impossible for him to average 40+ per game, because his three-point shooting ability is biased, which is an extremely fatal weakness in the era of small balls that increasingly advocate outside offense. Some fans may say that with Jordan's paranoid personality and competitive spirit, if he is in the small-ball era, not to mention that he can improve his three-point ability to the level of Stephen Curry, at least he can be at the upper middle level of the league, but let's not forget that these are just assumptions, whether it can be fulfilled is still unknown.
Secondly, the environment is different, the league at that time was full of all kinds of one-on-one, almost rarely saw players running on the court without the ball, creating opportunities for teammates, which is undoubtedly a huge benefit for the core players, because this can make his data more beautiful, so at that time the core players of each team were very high in scoring per game, of course, this was not to belittle the senior players, but to say that the NBA team tactics at that time were indeed too single, and the ball was basically in the hands of the core players. Role players have very little room to play.
In today's NBA, the league's teams are paying more and more attention to teamwork, whether you are a star player or a role player, as long as you are in an empty position, basketball can be delivered to your hands, which is unimaginable in the 80s/90s. In addition, the current NBA tactical system has been very full, no longer as in the past filled with a large number of one-on-one, but attaches great importance to regional joint defense, once found that the opposing player feels hot, will arrange two or three people to pack, in this high-intensity confrontation, even if it is strong, it is impossible to ensure that they can have a perfect play in each game.
This can be referred to Harden and Durant, both of whom are historical scorers, and their scoring ability is not weaker than Jordan's, but they do not average 40 points per game when they have unlimited shooting power? And don't forget that these two three-point shooting rates are above 35%, while Jordan's career three-point shooting rate is only 32.7%, so even if Jordan's scoring ability is slightly better than the two, it is difficult to average 40+ per game in the small-ball era.
However, with Jordan's personal ability, no matter what era he is in, he will be a well-deserved first person in active service, and does not accept any rebuttal, because 5 regular season MVPs, ten scoring champions, and two triple crowns are the best proof. What do you think about this? Welcome to leave a comment.