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re: How would Jordan's Bulls fare in today's NBA?
Posted on 2/1/26 at 9:58 am to prplhze2000
Posted on 2/1/26 at 9:58 am to prplhze2000
quote:
Given the lack of defense and relaxed rules today, Jordan scoring 50-60 a game.
Jordan would not be nearly as effective against today's defenses as they're more complex and prevent him from doing what he was best at.
He would have to become more of a team player and develop a more varied offensive game very quickly, when he never showed that was something he was interested in.
And, has been said previously, they would be exploited defensively a bit with their centers.
They would be like a classic Thibs team. Good D and iffy O who wears themselves down in the regular season to get a good regular season record, who flutters in the playoffs due to the exploits presented.
2
Posted on 2/1/26 at 10:19 am to OU Guy
Watched that mini-highlight reel. Jordan was an acrobatic ballerina. Amazing stuff.
The first ones I remember doing that stuff were Earl Monroe and Pistol Pete Maravich (only Maravich was constantly hammered with impunity at the time for his troubles, while Jordan received extraordinary ref protections.)
The first ones I remember doing that stuff were Earl Monroe and Pistol Pete Maravich (only Maravich was constantly hammered with impunity at the time for his troubles, while Jordan received extraordinary ref protections.)
Posted on 2/1/26 at 10:26 am to SlowFlowPro
quote:
Jordan would not be nearly as effective against today's defenses as they're more complex
You can't be cereal. Jordan would have been an even more unstoppable one-man wrecking crew in this boring, uninspiring "ME!!" league.
quote:
He would have to become more of a team player
Well, the knock on him was that he indeed was a jock and ball-hog. That said the winning results speak for themselves.
The NBA in recent years is barely a "team" sport. 2-3 guys sitting outside the zone and launching threes for half the scoring requires ZERO "team" concept.
Posted on 2/1/26 at 6:49 pm to RunningJacket
quote:There are less foul calls per game today than there has ever been.
Today’s players turn the ball over less because the refs allow walking and call a foul if you get close to a player.
quote:But this conversation isn't about "Jordan with modern training tools."
But Jordan is the GOAT because he was doing future stuff in the past and everyone knows if you put Jordan in the league in the 2060’s he would use those training tools to the max.
It's about 90s basketball players playing today.
quote:Defense today is 100x more complicated than it was 30 years ago. That's why these conversations are stupid.
And we haven’t even discussed DEFENSE which none of the top players today spend any energy on - maybe Anthony Edwards as a top tier player.
The game was much more simple in the 90s. The sets were less complex. The actions were very bare bones. It looked like players were playing harder defense because guys were isolated much more and would just hack away.
Lebron has been a horrendous defender for the last 5 years of his career. At his peak, he was (statistically) a better defender than Jordan. A ton of the bigs in the 90s could just camp in the lane because (1) there was no defensive 3 second call; and (2) very few, if any, were outside threats (comparatively speaking).
I'm not trying to be a dick, but I don't think a lot of these people who spent the majority of their NBA fandom in the 90s understand how much different the game has become, on both sides of the ball.
Posted on 2/1/26 at 6:58 pm to EphesianArmor
quote:Jordan wouldn't be allowed to get to his spot 25 times a night because teams would just throw doubles at him or run a pretty simple zone concept, things that were not allowed when he played.
You can't be cereal. Jordan would have been an even more unstoppable one-man wrecking crew in this boring, uninspiring "ME!!" league.
quote:This is where you're just horribly misguided about modern basketball.
The NBA in recent years is barely a "team" sport. 2-3 guys sitting outside the zone and launching threes for half the scoring requires ZERO "team" concept.
The Jordan era is the most iso heavy basketball of all time lol. That was a symptom of the defensive rules of the time.
Posted on 2/2/26 at 10:37 am to SlowFlowPro
quote:
He would have to become more of a team player and develop a more varied offensive game very quickly, when he never showed that was something he was interested in.
Have to weigh in on this, because I strongly disagree with it. Doug Collins moved him to PG for 20+ games in 89 and he averaged 30p/10a/9reb during that stretch. Phil comes in and installs the triangle, which rendered a great deal of Jordan's isolation/ball dominant strengths moot, so what did he do? He turned himself into one of the best back to the basket scorers in the league to adapt.
Jordan was constantly enhancing his game. He would need to adapt more in today's world, but history shows that he would do so.
Posted on 2/2/26 at 11:12 am to Rankest
It would depend on how the adapt but I dont hat the pieces.
Jordan may or may not have to develop a 3pt game. I think he can. by the end of his career he had an elite jump shot but took long 2s all over the place and his 3 point shots were always more out of necessity than it being a really good look.
He has 2 paths forward. Either he focuses on 3 point shooting and improves or you accept that his long 2 is efficient enough that he doesn’t have to (he shite like 52% from 16ft to 3pt range in 1998)
So the math may dictate 3s are worth more than 2 but if you can make enough 2s that math tips. Andni think jordan actually shot long 2s well enough to make that efficient.
2. So where to the 3s come from?
Kerr obviously would shoot a ton
Kukoc Shot .362 from 3 in 1998
Scottie wasn’t terrible shooting 3s either again without it being the main focus of the offense.
3. Long versatile wings are sorta what’s important in today’s game
Jordan and Scottie probably work in any generation.
4. biggest question is does someone like Rodman still work today?
You don’t see anyone doing what he was doj g with the balls. Defense and rebounds isn’t a model anyone else has followed.
Jordan may or may not have to develop a 3pt game. I think he can. by the end of his career he had an elite jump shot but took long 2s all over the place and his 3 point shots were always more out of necessity than it being a really good look.
He has 2 paths forward. Either he focuses on 3 point shooting and improves or you accept that his long 2 is efficient enough that he doesn’t have to (he shite like 52% from 16ft to 3pt range in 1998)
So the math may dictate 3s are worth more than 2 but if you can make enough 2s that math tips. Andni think jordan actually shot long 2s well enough to make that efficient.
2. So where to the 3s come from?
Kerr obviously would shoot a ton
Kukoc Shot .362 from 3 in 1998
Scottie wasn’t terrible shooting 3s either again without it being the main focus of the offense.
3. Long versatile wings are sorta what’s important in today’s game
Jordan and Scottie probably work in any generation.
4. biggest question is does someone like Rodman still work today?
You don’t see anyone doing what he was doj g with the balls. Defense and rebounds isn’t a model anyone else has followed.
Posted on 2/2/26 at 11:19 am to OU Guy
Only MJ gets the benefit of the doubt for being able to work through/improve his flaws in his game that wouldn’t translate to a later era lol. Not the goat unless you’re an old man.
Posted on 2/2/26 at 7:29 pm to Rankest
Modern NBA fans are such figs.
Posted on 2/2/26 at 8:13 pm to SlowFlowPro
quote:
Jordan
Harper
Kukoc
Pippen
Rodman
lineup would have been interesting in a modern setting if Rodman could have done more offensively (like Draymond)
Pippen, Kukoc, Jordan, Harper would all work on their 3 point shot and would probably be very competitive imo. Rodman would be Dreymond but better.
Imo Kerr build those Golden State teams similar to bulls teams, just with a 3pt shooter in Curry over a jordan type. If Jordan adjusted they would be fine
Posted on 2/2/26 at 8:43 pm to GamecockUltimate
quote:
Pippen, Kukoc, Jordan, Harper would all work on their 3 point shot
It's telling how weak the argument is when people keep having to change the discussion to something else to help the 90s Bulls.
Posted on 2/2/26 at 10:14 pm to SlowFlowPro
Kukoc, Pippen and Kerr had competitive 3Pt%
They just don’t take 7-10 shots a game.
It is easy to Aruge MJ COULD have should 3s but i’ll point out that I dont think the analytics would make him.
the reasons it’s better to shoot and make less threes is because most people can’t hit long 2s at a high enough % to make the math work.
MJ could in his later years.
They just don’t take 7-10 shots a game.
It is easy to Aruge MJ COULD have should 3s but i’ll point out that I dont think the analytics would make him.
the reasons it’s better to shoot and make less threes is because most people can’t hit long 2s at a high enough % to make the math work.
MJ could in his later years.
Posted on 2/2/26 at 11:54 pm to SlowFlowPro
quote:Yeah, when the argument is "how would they fare today" and the immediate responses is "well if they got better at the most important aspect of modern NBA play, they could dominate," you've lost the argument.
It's telling how weak the argument is when people keep having to change the discussion to something else to help the 90s Bulls.
Posted on 2/3/26 at 7:23 am to PP7 for heisman
quote:
Yeah, when the argument is "how would they fare today" and the immediate responses is "well if they got better at the most important aspect of modern NBA play, they could dominate," you've lost the argument.
You're leaving out the best part
They don't give the same hypothetical opportunity for modern players to improve, which is not only slanted but implies the modern guys have less to improve on...which isn't good for their argument.
Posted on 2/3/26 at 7:26 am to SammyTiger
quote:
SammyTiger
Kukoc, Pippen and Kerr had competitive 3Pt%
They just don’t take 7-10 shots a game.
Volume is important because the older guys were only taking them when wide open. Shooting well at higher volume is much harder than only taking them in the most opportune environment
This was a major conceptual problem for how older coaches/GMs looked at the game and why even around 2014 it took years for the rest of the NBA to agree with the Warriors.
Posted on 2/3/26 at 10:25 am to SlowFlowPro
quote:
Volume is important because the older guys were only taking them when wide open
or when they had to because of the shot clock.
Posted on 2/3/26 at 11:22 am to Rankest
I think the biggest issue for any team trying to be the Bulls is getting the rest of the team to buy into the Triangle offense. It's a great team offense but players have to sacrifice personal stats (and money) for the betterment of the entire team. Getting buy in back then was easier because players didn't have the options/mobility that they have today.
They'd still be a great team because of how good they were defensively, but not as dominant in today's game. There's just far more talent in today's NBA. No other team had the sheer talent to match up with them back then.
They'd still be a great team because of how good they were defensively, but not as dominant in today's game. There's just far more talent in today's NBA. No other team had the sheer talent to match up with them back then.
This post was edited on 2/3/26 at 11:37 am
Posted on 2/3/26 at 11:32 am to PP7 for heisman
quote:
The Jordan era is the most iso heavy basketball of all time lol. That was a symptom of the defensive rules of the time.
Don't know why you're getting downvoted. You're right, the 90s is known for iso-heavy offense with a lack of ball movement. To be fair it wasn't the players' fault. The illegal defense rules incentivized isolation principles. In today's game you can send two or more to the ball so frequent ball movement is a necessity.
Posted on 2/3/26 at 12:31 pm to NawlinsTiger9
You must not have seen Michael Jordan. You can't be serious
Posted on 2/3/26 at 7:31 pm to Goldrush25
quote:Because these threads are mostly filled with older guys who grew up watching the bulls and they don't want to concede that their era was worse than the current era.
Don't know why you're getting downvoted. You're right,
Which, all power to them. I'm sure I'll do the same thing when I'm 50
Still, it is frustrating when they say something objectively false (guys today couldn't compete physically, guys didn't palm the ball in the 90s, guys don't know fundamentals anymore, guys don't run plays or sets today and it's all streetball). That's the part that annoys me. 
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