There has been a lot of talk about how legends of another era would fare in another time. Would LeBron James be still dominant in the 90s? Would Michael Jordan have decimated this era’s defenses? There is a lot of talk about this, but we will never get to know the answer to these questions. However, that didn’t stop a former player from making a bold take about Michael Jordan.
Jason Williams is a former NBA player who played for 12 years and also won a ring with the Miami Heat. He later became an analyst, and he had a bold take on Jordan.
Willams has said, “Obviously, he’s going to be great. I mean, don’t get me wrong. But I think it would be a little harder for him now because, like you said, the defenses have changed.”
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“Anybody in the NBA is going to beat anybody one on one, let alone Michael Jordan. I think he’d be great, be an All-Star for sure, but not the Michael Jordan that he was back then if that’s fair to say.” This is a rather controversial take on Jordan, who was a six-time champ and a 10-time scoring title winner.
NBA Twitter mocks Jason Williams for saying Michael Jordan would struggle in today’s NBA
The NBA fans went nuts after Willams’s take. They mocked for questioning Jordan. Here are some of the best reactions:
So naive. All-time greats are inevitable. Lebron would be Lebron in the 80s-90’s. MJ in the 10’s-20’s would probably be even better with no hand checking and more space in the mid-range/lane. He used to drive into 3 guys and score…now it would be just one. https://t.co/x2NslSxEsa
— JB (@LacJordan) March 25, 2022
Who is this guy? Don’t disrespect the goat
— Dani. (@Danizeh) March 25, 2022
MJ would average around 50 Hell be more of a facilitator. And now with the almighty 3 to spread the floor and more teammates 1-5 who can shoot, he would be more inclined to dish. But he would dominate the paint. Giannis is the run and dunk, MJ would be the run and free throw du
— ANA_WESTGOAT#0 💎 (@susan1234456789) March 25, 2022
A lot of people in these comments weren’t alive before 1996… Sit this one out. Michael Jordan was a savant on the basketball court.
The only analogy this generation has is Steph and their games couldn’t be more different. Everyone else was playing basketball MJ was painting.
— Echelon (@EchelonIsBack) March 25, 2022
You people born in 2000s wouldn’t understand defence with hand checking allowed. Todays players would all cry & fall to the ground wanting a foul called if a defender hand checked them.
MJ would average minimum 30 & his assists would increase as well.
— Slick (@Slickberger) March 25, 2022
Bench players talkin like starters I hate it 🤦🏾♂️ pic.twitter.com/Q6MRUuRFNO
— Kerry Lyn (@worldofkl) March 25, 2022
Who even is this guy and why does he think we care 😭
— 𝙁𝙡𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙨 🔥 (@FlamesNBA21) March 25, 2022
It always amazes me how ppl can always take a player from from an earlier time and adjust the current game around the player, but will never adjust the player to adapt to the way the game is played today. Like we didn't watch MJ adjust his game more than once in his career.
— SPLiTPERSONaLiTy 💣 RIP 🌟CLAWZ🌟 (@BronX_General) March 25, 2022
In todays game, where teams aren’t allowed to get physical and can virtually get whatever they want because nobody prioritizes defense?? You’ll seem to be forgetting how crazy athletic and skilled MJ was as a player.
— Harder Than The Truth (@than_truth) March 25, 2022
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How could have Jordan fared in today’s league?
There are a lot of differences from the 90s to today’s game. Hand checking isn’t allowed anymore, zone defense isn’t illegal, players shoot way more threes than before, and a lot more. Historically speaking, Jordan wasn’t a great three-point shooter, but as any great player, he could have adapted to it.
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But saying that Jordan would not have been Jordan is maybe a little too far. Jordan was an absolute monster on both ends of the floor and there was no player who could guard Jordan 1v1. But also saying that he would average 50 in today’s game might be a stretch. All the greats could have played in any era and they had been great in their own way or a different one.
