Join Ovie, Mo and Jaydee for the latest episode of Heatcheck on Wednesday night (8pm) on Sky Sports Arena
Wednesday 27 May 2020 09:00, UK
How many points per game would Michael Jordan average if he played in today’s NBA? Heatcheck’s Ovie Soko and Mo Mooncey share their thoughts.
Following the conclusion of The Last Dance, Washington Wizards point guard John Wall said he believed Jordan would average 45 points per game if he played in the modern-day NBA.
On the latest edition of Heatcheck, available to watch now on Sky Sports' YouTube channel and broadcast on Sky Sports Arena on Wednesday at 8pm, Soko backed Wall's assertion and said, depending on the goals of a given team, 45 points a game might even underestimate what a prime Jordan could achieve if he played today.
"It's very doable," said Soko. "MJ could average 50 in today's NBA if we are not talking about him [on a team] not [contending] to win championships. Winning has a different formula.
"We have seen with guys like James Harden, it's possible to go out and [average] 40 [over a period of time]. MJ could definitely go out and get 40+, maybe even 50 if you're not talking about him being on a championship team.
"Would he be able to win a championship and average 40 points? I don't think he would be able to do that."
Mooncey said today's more open style of play and changes to defensive rules would factor into how Jordan would hypothetically fare in today's game.
"The inflation in numbers and the rule changes in the modern NBA [are crucial factors]," he said. "There is no hand-checking. There is [the onus on] the three-point shot. Big men can no longer just wait around under the rim. He would have so much more freedom on the attacking side of the basketball.
"It's not a question of how many points per game I think Jordan would get, it would be a question of when does the coach decide to rest MJ because he would be scoring non-stop every second he is on the basketball court! It's not about how many points he would average, it's about how many minutes the coach would let him play!
"Right now, there are probably only three or four guys in the league who could even think about guarding MJ, let alone actually stopping him. You don't see those 'defensive dogs' like Gary Payton or Nate McMillan [in today's game].
