Alonzo Mourning said on Fox Sports this week that Michael Jordan would put up 50 in today's NBA. And his reasoning... is actually pretty sound.
The hand-check rules were implemented to free up the offensive game after basketball scoring died from choking on its own vomit after Jordan retired. Now you see the impact with guys like James Harden being able to draw free throws at such a high rate. But there is a flipside.
If you go back and watch some of his greatest performances, Jordan wasn't double-teamed nearly as much as he should have been. There are times, but not nearly as often as he'd see today. Help defense, like the one that Chicago and the Clippers use, are smarter and more aggressive. But the idea of him shooting 20 free throws per game is not crazy to think about, considering his usage and the fact that no guard today could contain him on the perimeter. Anyway, a fun exercise and the rare "MJ was better in every way" that's backed up with an actual line of thought instead of just throwing it out as an absolute.
HT: Sporting News
