How much would a prime MJ average in the modern NBA?

This man is insane, it feels like the more I know about Michael Jordan the greater he becomes

Rodman lol, “why you guys discuss the goat?”

Can you imagine how much more free throws he will get.

one needs to account, that MJ perfected his play over the years, so in today 3 point driven era, he would have work on that much harder and sooner then he did

If Mike played in this era, he would force the league to change the rules to allow players to guard him.

Question: "How many points you think MJ would average in today's NBA?" MJ: *"As many as I want."*

Most important: don't piss Jordan off!! You will regret it! Best line of the video! Very nice.

Wow bro this is the BEST break down I've EVER heard about MJ's game and how it would translate to today's game. Very few ever really talk about how MJ never had wasted movements in his game or what made him so deadly around the rim was his arsenal of moves while in the air... you articulated this very well... GREAT video!

The point is that he would average whatever he'd feel like.

40-45 ppg does not seem outlandish to me. Guy was that good.

I had the pleasure to watching MJ in his prime! Honestly it was such a pleasure!

He is basically impossible to stop No matter how you stop him He can basically attack you in so many different ways

He was never a bad 3 point shooter, he just never shot it as much early on... completely different.

Younger people didn’t get to see Jordan in his prime, if they did and then watched today’s nba there wouldn’t be a discussion abt who the goat is

Man I was born in 81 and the 90s NBA was 10 times tougher and more interesting than today

Roddman:Why You Discuss The Goat? Me:Same

When mj retired everyone was like "finally we have a chance to win" once he came back...well you all know

Jordan was just unbelievable... there is NO defense today that would be able to stop him. The rules of the nba would play right into his hands. His highlights would be even more iconic than his highlights in the 80s and 90s. It wouldn't even be fair

Dennis Rodman: “I don’t know why you guys discuss the GOAT? Why you guys discuss the GOAT?!”

The two best ways of looking at it (for me) are if you adjust Michael's numbers on Pace, or on League %. If adjusted to pace, Jordan's season by season Per Game averages generally grow in the scoring department by 2-3 PPG. For example; Jordan averaged a rounded 37-5-5-3-2 in 1986-86. Today, that would look like 39-5-5-3-2. Similar happens in slower seasons such as 1995-1996 and 1996-97, where he goes from 30-7-4-2-1 and 30-6-4-2-1, to 33-7-5-2-1. Suggesting he gains three points a game is probably underselling it, but that isn't including rules changes to help offensive players in todays game, nor does it include the improved spacing on the floor for wide-open jumpshots and drives to the hoop. Now, if you adjust on league %, things get insane. League % is the players season total divided by the leagues total. For example, in 1986-87, Jordan scored 1.47% of every point in the NBA that season. So, what would it look like if he scored 1.47% of every point in the 2019-20 season? With 1.47% of 216,429 being a rounded 3182 points, and the league only playing 65 games a team, that's a rounded average of 49 PPG. To say this would happen today may be a stretch, but considering he led the league in total points in all 11 full seasons in Chicago, it isn't out of the relm of possibility that Jordan would easily average over 40 PPG. This video is pretty accurate in my opinion, and may be the best I've seen on the subject.

He'd average 20ppg on free throws alone. Realistically 45 ppg when you consider all the rule changes and 3 point emphasis.

If Harden can average 36 a game in this era with MJ averaging 37 in a much more physical tougher era, then Prime MJ in todays NBA would average 45+ on 50+% FG%

If you could put Jordan in this era, with him knowing all the talk about Lebron and who the GOAT is..............he'd take it personal........lol............. and HE'D TEAR THIS LEAGUE TO SHREDS!!!! LOL!!!!! He would do what he always did, that being to Elevate his game and leave no doubt!!

45.5 a game easily especially with today's "defense" where bigs can't be too physically dominant.

Rodman: Why you discuss the goat”? 🐛💯

He averaged 40 in a playoff series back then, he’d average 50 for sure

If Jordan played in this era, hand-checking would still be allowed specifically to limit him

World: How many points would Jordan average in todays game? MJ: I took it personally

There's no comparison, nobody comes close...GOAT! He'd easily put up these numbers today.

Dude the wizards MJ would avg close to 30 Prime MJ around 45

Something else the young folk from today should understand is that Jordan was routinely double and triple teamed. Teams would literally leave a man free so they could double Jordan. Jordan played whole seasons where he was mostly doubled. You can't even do that today. In the famous Jordan Rules book, it called for doubling Jordan and forcing the rest of the Bulls to play.

a prime Jordan could average a 40 point triple-double with two steals and a block per game in 2020. peep the break down and analysis below for details, and feel free to use insults as arguments against the conclusion. Note: all numbers are rounded to the nearest integer Scorin' Breakdown -6 outta 8 buckets at the rim/in the paint -6 outta 10 buckets from mid range -3 outta 7 buckets from three-point range -8 outta 10 free throws -40 ppg on 25 shots, shootin' 60% from the field, 42% from three-point range, and 80% from the freethrow line Scorin' Analysis: At the Rim/In the Paint with modern defensive rules in place, the paint would frequently be left wide open. add that context to prime Jordan's hangtime, his arsenal of finger rolls, and his thirst for in-game dunks, and 6 outta 8 buckets at the rim might seem a bit conservative. Scorin' Analysis: Mid Range Game I doubt Jordan's membership in the mid range assassins club would be news to any student of the game of Basketball. he regularly shot over double and triple teams durin' an era of handchecks and hard fouls. he led the league in scorin' as a mid range jump shooter for multiple seasons, and he made more mid range shots than his peers even attempted, even while sinkin' 'em with the third highest efficiency rate. keep in mind, his makes and efficiency rate were the and among the highest respectively, despite the fact that he was by far the focal point of the offense for the Bulls. the only mid range shooters with higher efficiency rates were guys that weren't catchin' double and triple teams for multiple quarters each game. with modern defensive systems hemmed up by touch foul calls, plus the prevelance of "pace and space" and pick and roll plays, it seems like it'd once again be a bit of a conservative estimate to say prime Jordan would grab 6 outta 10 buckets from mid range in today's game. Scorin' Analysis: The Three Ball at this point in the history of basketball, a common narrative paints Jordan as a terrible three-point shooter who wouldn't survive in today's three-point shootin' league. this narrative is nonesense, for three simple reasons. Reason #1: He was never a terrible three-point shooter. numbers might not lie, but people do, and we often use numbers to spread falsehoods. numbers tell us that Jordan shot 16% from three for his first four seasons, but they also tell us that he shot less than one three-pointer per game for those seasons. imagine takin' twenty plus shots per game, but only averagin' .7 three pointers per game. those numbers scream a very specific insight: the three-point shot simply wasn't a part of his game, and those three's he was takin' likely weren't so much a reflection of his ability as much as they were a result of havin' the ball in your hands as time winds down, whether on the shot clock or the game clock. this is also reflected in the numbers. for seasons five, six, seven, eight, and nine, he shot 33% from three on two attempts per game. for his sixth season in particular, he shot 37% from three on three attempts per game. if he were truly a terrible three-point shooter, his percentages wouldn't go up with his attempts. but, as we can see from the numbers alone, when he decided to use the three-point shot, he was effective from three. Reason #2: Jordan was an effective shooter from 3 when he chose to use it. fact: only once did Jordan ever shoot under 37% from three for a season while takin' two or more three's per game, and that was in '93, the season before the three-point line was shortened, when he shot 35% on 3 three's per game. speakin' of the line bein' shortened, three of his highest three-point shootin' seasons were durin' the period when the three-point line had been shortened. however, it's a blatant exaggeration to discredit three-point shootin' from these three seasons when one considers the fact that it was only the top of the key that was shortened, and it was only shortened to match the length of a corner three. furthermore, Jordan shot 37% from three on three attempts per game in the 1990 season. to dig even deeper into his effectiveness from three, we should look at other examples of when he chose to include it into his game, such as the playoffs. for his career, he shot 33% from three on two and a half three's per game in the post season. in fact, out of thirteen post season campaigns, he only shot under 30% twice: his rookie season, and his 12th season at age 33. breakin' this down even further, if we take playoff series as legit sample of shootin' ability, then we get the followin' numbers: 22 playoff series shootin' at least 30% from three, 17 playoff series shootin' at least 33% from three, 15 playoff series shootin' at least 40% from three, 7 playoff series shootin' at least 50% from three, and 2 playoff series shootin' at least 60% from three. even if you take out the playoff series with the shortened three-point line, you still get 16 playoff series shootin' at least 30% from three, 14 playoff series shootin' at least 33% from three, 12 playoff series shootin' at least 40% from three, 5 playoff series shootin' at least 50% from three, and a playoff series shootin' at least 60% from three. conclusion: his effectiveness from three-point range was a matter of choosing to include the three ball into his game, not a matter of his ability to shoot from three. Reason #3: If he wanted to excel from three, he would. aside from the numbers laid out in the two bits about his three-point shootin' above, this claim is based on two pieces of historical evidence and one contextual factor in the modern league: his initial NBA scouting report, the infamous "Shrug Game", and today's emphasis on three-point shootin'. the followin' is a direct quote from Rod Thorn in regards to the NBA scouting report on Jordan: "His shooting was what were concerned with. We didn't know what kind of shooter he was going to turn out to be." #bruh!! imagine not knowin' *if* Jordan would be able to shoot the ball. turns out, Jordan wasn't always the mid range assassin we all grew to know him to be. Phil Jackson once pointed out how Jordan deliberately developed a jump shot in response to this criticism of his game. apparently, he added this to his arsenal out of pure will. he later did the exact same thing from three-point range once folks startin' pointin' out how Drexler would surpass him cus he shot better from 3. hence, the infamous "Shrug Game". imagine goin' from shootin' 27% for a season to shootin' 35% for the followin' season just to reinforce the idea that you can shoot from three if you choose to include it in your game. juxtapose this Batman-esque ability to absorb techniques and expand his arsenal with today's emphasis on the three ball, and you get a recipe for at least a 40% three-point shooter, and that's bein' conservative. System Analysis: Assists and Rebounds today's league embraces what we call the "combo guard": a scorer who facilitates, or vice versa. as a first option and a facilitator, Jordan could most certainly put up double digit assists and rebounds. keep in mind, he was literally asked by Phil Jackson to lower his production. under Phil's system, Jordan's stats went down. playin' point guard under Doug Collins, however, he clocked hella thirty-point triple-doubles while barely shootin' three's. the point bein' made here is that the system a star plays in has a huge impact on that star's output. in today's league, with stars much more in control of their careers, Jordan would at least have the option to ball out as he chose. fact: Magic is the only person to ever average more assists than Jordan in a Finals series. Jordan once averaged over 11 assists in a Finals series, and it's no coincidence that it was against Magic himself. like, let's put that into perspective: goin' against Magic, he averaged 11 assists per game; goin' against Barkley, he averaged over 8 rebounds per game; goin' against Drexler, he set a Finals record while averagin' over 40% from three. this is a dood who beat other cats at their own game. in today's league, with Westbrook and others gettin' historic notice for droppin' triple doubles left and right, it's easy to see Jordan makin' it a point to outshine everybody else by grabbin' boards and droppin' dimes for seasons at a time. Defensive Analysis: Steals and Blocks again, I doubt any student of this game is unaware of what Jordan was capable of in his prime on the defensive end. this is a dood who led the league in scorin' *and* steals for three separate seasons. matter fact, if we take those three seasons together, he averaged 32 ppg on 23 shots per game while shootin' 52% from the field and 32% from three, plus 6 apg, 6 rpg, 2.8 bpg, and a block per game. yo, if we take just the best outta those three seasons, he put up 35 ppg on 24 shots a game while shootin' 53% from the field, plus 3 steals and a block and a half per game, all while grabbin' an All Star MVP award, a Dunk Champion award, a DPOY award, and a league MVP award. just sayin', Jordan's clearly proven that he could hold it down offensively while puttin' up two steals and a block per game. ..and there you have it. an efficient, dominant, forty-point triple double for the season, with two steals and a block per game to boot.

Don't know about 50 but he still be the best player. He was also a great defensive player. So by the 4th quarter most games would've been over. He would still average 35 to 38 a game. He was no stat paddler.

In today’s game and pace and more inflated offense Jordan would average 40/8/8

MJ best season (86-87): 37.1 pts per game 109.9 pts league average 33.7% of league average (37.1/109.9) 1991-1993: First championship three-peat: 31.4 pts - MJ average 105.6 pts - league average 29.7% of league average 1996-1998: Second championship three-peat: 29.6 pts - MJ average 97.3 pts - league average 30.4% of league average 2020 MJ: 111.4 pts - league average 37.5 pts (MJ's 86-87) 33.1 pts (MJ's 91-93) 33.9 pts (MJ's 96-98) 50 pts??? Don't be silly.

"Don't piss him off cause that made him even better" best way to finish the video Biggest thanks

Without a doubt. He's average 45 or more.

I agree with this assessment. He could avg up to 45 ppg in today’s league

Few observations from this video, the 80's were also a league of big men despite the higher pace. Jordan averaged 37 in the 80's but with the slowest pace of the league at the time. In fact he's the only player in nba history to become scoring champion playing on a team that operates with the slowest pace. Jordan was scoring a lot within the flow of the game (which is a bigger statement than what people realize). Yet, Jordan could and would take over the game better than Kobe and he did. Actually that was his biggest trademark throught his career. In his last 3 seasons with the Bulls (30,7/31,1/32,4), as you pointed out Jordan's average diminished in the regular season but conversely, it got better in the playoffs. Jordan was not a poor 3 point shooter. In fact, he's the only player in NBA history, along with Steph Curry, to shoot at least 38% on 3-point field goals in 3 NBA Finals runs. Jordan did this in the Bulls' 1991, 1992, and 1993 championship runs under the original 3-point line. He also did it in the 1996 championship run, but with a shorter 3-point line. Considering the level of the defense today, the changes of the rules, the void within the paint, the absence of dominant big men...the ticky tack fouls...I believe Jordan would average 50. Phil Jackson was already saying in 2006 that Jordan would be averaging 45 ppg with the 2006 rules and the defensive level got worse.

I take the word of former players over all others, especially media talking heads and the current group of players that never stepped on the court against him or with him. This is one of the best explanation I've heard to date. You bring all the elements of MJ game together expertly. What is missed by most fans of the game, is that MJ was an elite once in generation athlete playing Basketball, he made everything look easy because he was so smooth and efficient with his energy. I have had the pleasure of watching him play his last year in hight school at the McDonald's All-American classic in 1981, you could tell even back then that he was special. Yes he would own this current era without a doubt. Thanks 4 the Video. Great Job.👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾

No one takes pride in playing D these days. In MJ's time, some guys were D specialists. No hand checking is a huge diff as well. Throw in the half dozen more 3's a game and I think he would easily average 45... Thanks for another great vid Jonny!

45 easy. Can’t touch him and with his motor, drive and ability to finish at the rim , good luck everyone else.

jordan is like hulk. He gets better when he's pissed

I want to see pat beverly and draymond green thrash talk mj. Maybe 70😂

There's no hole in his game, truly legendary 💯

I think it's important he said "prime Jordan". Not the 35 year old Jordan, who was still very good. I think that a lot of the younger fans visualize him that way. Prime Jordan had no physical limits.

I really enjoyed this video, thank you. As a basketball loving man we can never have enough footage or information on MJ.

One of The Best video on KZfaq that explaines why he is the GOAT

The recent Jordan celebration everyone's having... I've been doing it daily for the last 25 years.

People shouldn’t really hold mj’s three point shooting against him not only because he isn’t even bad at shooting but he’d actually be better at shooting if he grew up in today’s nba seeing the three pointer become more and more important

If you take him straight out of the 90s he’d average at least 40, of you make him improve his 3 and take some post game out he’s averaging 50 easy

7:58 Kids, pay attention. This is why Jordan is the GOAT. It's not because us old timers are caught up on old memories. It's because we realised Jordan was far ahead of his time. He was an anomaly back then and is still an anomaly now. We like to picture Harden getting pretty, driving into the paint against a Bad Boy Pistons, but we don't even have to. Jordan's game then and now is so far ahead of anything we've seen is uncanny. I welcome any discussion, give me your best arguements, please.

LOL: "If you push Jordan right: he had numerous counter moves to punish you." "If you push Jordan left: he had numerous counter moves to punish you." You just can't guard the GOD

50+ points per game in the pre-championship years. Around 45 points per game once he he would have his would-be championship roster. MJ’s other stats would be godly as well. I can see Jordan averaging 9+ rebounds per game, 9 assists per game, 2+ steals per game and 1+ blocks per game EASY

Yo you speaking facts anyone who doesn’t know basketball this dude knows a lot MJ game was flawless even Kobe said it

“Why you gotta discuss the GOAT?”

If Harden can average 40, Jordan could average 50.

I'm glad you put up the Defensive 3 in key rule that rule killed the C position

you gotta understand in the 90's he relied on the 3 for like 10% of his whole entire offence or lower. In comparison lebron rely on the 3 30-40 % while curry rely on 70%. Yet look how high up he is on the scoring list plus he left two years to play baseball and had 3 years for college.

I could see Jordan doing about 16 60 point games a yr in today’s era based off the East defense and the suns. Overall a prime jordon could theoretically average 50 but I’d say around 47

Exactly, how would they stop MJ from scoring with all his arsenal, and you cant use excessive foul these days so MJ driving to the rim is like walking in the park

he would easily average 40-45 points in the current era, imo

You convinced me throughout your video with a solid argument! Respect

Young MJ would average around 42-45 a game now. Older MJ(96-98) he'd be at like 32-34. Wizards MJ like 24-26

Jordan world do Zero points. Why? He would be arrested after first quarter off the Game for „on court rape“ of the opposite team.

50 while smoking his cigars.

I see where you may have gotten your assessment of 40-43 ppg in today’s game. However, I have to agree with the players at the beginning of the video; 50+ ppg in today’s game. The 80s were probably the most aggressive AND dirty b-ball play in the modern era. However, because of first Bird then Magic, then especially Jordan, players and D systems got MUCH stronger and more efficient. Because of Jordan, the 90s produced the best defensive game, probably ever. Also, the mainstream birth of the ‘Triangle’ to curb defenses as a team. Honestly though, I still think it wasn’t enough for Jordan. I think if he wanted to, he could’ve put up more in the 90s than he did in the 80s because his overall game got better every year. He and the Bulls just wanted to win though.

Great break down 👇 you cover the most of what people miss...instead of just going off hes greatness. Im glad i found your channel. The unbaisnes i get from you is unparalleled. Keep 🆙 the good 👷

"Points are cheap nowadays." Max Kellerman

no matter how the game has changed or should i say technical mike would still dominate regardless

No, words! Simply the best 🎉

My feelings at the end of the video... Respect To all the coaches and players who faced him... I would be stressed if I had to Guard MJ....

About MJ 3Pt shooting : put in perspective that the 3pt RULE didnt exist when he was young, or playing at UNC...

40 - 47ppg/6 - 9rbs and 6 - 9apg on 50 - 55% from the field and 35 - 40% from three like he would be Kawhi Leonard on steroids

This may be the BEST breakdown of why and how MJ would avg 40+ppg in today's game. Superb explanation.

Great analysis. I agree with everything. Imagine one player complete a winning season with 40-43 ppg, amazing. We had and we hopefully will have great, even legendary players but no one will reach MJ. His mindset even more than his skills was unique.

Adjusting his 3 point attempts to today's pace and keeping his avg from 3 the same alone would add 3-4 more points to that 87 avg of 37.1. Throw in the fact no big man camped out in the paint and Jordan could easily avg 43 to 46 ppg in today's NBA. Hell he could have done it in the 90's if he wanted to but chose to keep his pace within that of the teams to win instead of stuffing the stat sheet! Great vid. The G.O.A.T.

The Worm spits the truth as per usual

Such a great video you did an amazing job breaking down every aspect of his game. I’ve also thought about his high scoring games in the 60’s and what that translates to in todays game. Yeah he’d average 40-50 a game but on the nights he went off he could have been in the 80s and 90s on those nights and knowing MJ if he broke into the 90s he would want the ball the rest of the night to break wilts record

6:59 “i don’t see anybody averaging 50 points in any era” *Wilt Chamberlain has entered the chat*

50. He'd average 50.. And this is coming from a guy who has always rooted for the underdogs (Jazz, Phoenix, Sonics, Portland).

He averaged 37 when you could literally mug a guy on the court. Not only can't you even touch an offensive player anymore, the defensive effort in the NBA sucks. He'd average anywhere between 40-50 based on the help he got.

One of your better videos, great job.

"you shouldn't piss him off" 🤣🤣 that's some GOAT language

8:37 did he just hit a fadeaway over 3 guys? 😳😳😳

Very good assessment. He'd also run off a spate of 60+ point games just to prove a point, as the media would challenge him by saying he couldn't get 50 or 60. Keep in mind that he often shot with absurd efficiency in those very high point games he had.

He'd draw more fouls, put more of an emphasis on his 3 (more taken, and probably more accurate given his psychotic mindset), and embarrass modern defenses. As long as he was in an organization that maximized his strengths like the Bulls did, there is no question he would look even more dominant. It's fair to say he'd have several seasons above 40, probably with his highest tipping just over 45 ppg. He would also put up absolutely untouchable playoff numbers.

he'd average 40-45 ppg in todays era.

Would MJ average 50 if he played now? Maybe. He would definitely still dominate the league. Pace has gone up, defense is not allowed, and Michael would be practicing his 3 ball game instead of making so many long 2's. You're telling me he's not a better athlete than James Harden or Steph Curry? He's got a 46 inch vertical jump, and the wingspan of a small forward. He would be *completely* unguardable. So his points would go up, his assists would go up, his blocks and steals would go down. What I find surprising most about MJ/GOAT discussions is just how little his freakish athleticism is brought up. Never has there been as talented and dedicated a player as he was, period.

Definitely the best scorer I've ever seen. Although I absolutely love Lebron this man is an alien.

Rodman's response was the Best! He said Jordan would average 50. Then he said "I don't know why you guys discuss the GOAT. Why you discuss the GOAT??" LOL!!! Remember, RodZilla played against Jordan when he was with "Bad Boys" and he played with Jordan for that 2nd 3Peat, so he knows!!

7:45 onward explains and details his greatness. If you block him here, he will do that. If you guard him there he will fade away the other way. An answer for everything. Oh btw, the Jordan Rules would not apply in today's NBA.

The core strenght needed to take shots on the way down ynder duress with a lot of contact is just insane.

Lost in all of this is the way fouls are called in today's game: Jordan would shoot (at least) 20 FTs a game and make 17.

The greatest of all time no doubt his game was poetry

I think it'd be more interesting to analyze how MJ's game would change if he played today. Consider that There was no 3 point line when MJ was a kid and even when he played in collage the 3point line was only in the NBA, not in NCAA, so he started making and practicing 3s when he got into the NBA, with no advanced 3point training methods and etc, but he still managed to develop into a good or a decent one. Now considering that 3p% of most of the great players today is directly linked to their ft%, I think with todays coaching MJ would become a great 3p shooter. And we have a good comparison to him. It's Kawhi. Kawhi also has huge hands like MJ had, similar shooting mechanics, wasn't a great shooter when he came into the league but became an elite one after special 3point training in San Antonio. So in short I think MJ would be about the same player as Kawhi, but faster, more explosive and athletic, maybe slightly worse on defense but a lot more dominant on offense, and the most important thing less injury prone. I don't know how many points he would average, but just imagine a Kawhi who is more explosive, more athletic, faster with better footwork and craftiness and doesn't get injured. Would easily be the best player in the league and with a competent team would tear up the league.

Prime jordan would kill the modern players in the nba

I bet that he would be an even better 3-point shooter in today's game. In his time the 3-pointer wasn't nearly as important as it is today. Therefore there wasn't as much reason to practice and become really good at it. If he'd play today his percentage would probably be around 40 from deep. If you count that in, I think 50 points per game could be a possibility. But I wouldn't want to see a 3-point spamming Jordan. What made him so special to watch was his slashing and outstanding mid range game.

The game was tougher back then, more physical, players were also tougher.