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Michael jordan how to shoot a basketball


Michael Jordan Jump Shot — Timeless Basketball

Michael Jordan was never a great shooter in high school, college or his early NBA years. He received the same criticism Lebron James gets for not being such a strong shooter, even though their respective field goal percents are off-the-charts considering the high volume shooting and offensive load each carry. Jordan over time used the negativity to put and keep himself in the gym and work on his greatest perceived weakness and throughout his career, he became a better, smarter and more effective shooter from the mid-range and beyond.

One of the most overlooked aspects of Jordan’s shot and his game is that he didn’t pop as many 3s as other elite scorers before and after him. When Kirk Hinrich overtakes you for the most 3-point field goals made in Chicago Bulls history in just his 5th season as a Bull, that’s when you realize that Jordan was an assassin because he was always literally in the defense’s grill beneath the 3-point line and yet when he needed to make big shots from beyond the arc, he did just that. Like that Detroit game-winner in the late 80s. Or the 6 treys against Portland.

[Related: how to shoot a basketball accurately]

And for someone who was always aggressive inside the 3-point line, whether in the post or in isolation, he played a physical game which demanded double teams and physical play from defenders leading to many trips to the free throw line where he always converted at over 80% throughout his career. Sometimes, he even made them with his eyes closed.

People will never remember Jordan for his jump shot, but for the shots he took that tattooed themselves in our mind’s highlights. His jump shooting ability made the countless drives to the rim, finished by acrobatic layups and dunks, possible. If his fadeaway jumpers and turnarounds from post ups had patents, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant and Tracy Mcgrady would all be paying millions in royalties to his Airness. Of course, Jordan himself stole some of these moves from his jump shooting predecessors so really, it wasn’t Jordan’s originality that lured us to him, but his consistent dominance using those skills for as long as he did, against the competition and Jordan Rules he faced and the stubbornness to stick to these shots when coaches and teammates often pleaded for the ball; all of these traits is what made Jordan’s jump shot and Jordan himself a lethal force on offense.

 

Adjusted Shooting Table
   ShooShooShooShooShooShooShooShoo LeagLeagLeagLeagLeagLeagLeagLeag
Season Tm   FG 2P 3P eFG FT TS FTr 3PAr   FG 2P 3P eFG FT TS FTr 3PAr  
1984-85CHI. 515.526.173.518.845.592.459.032.491.499.282.496.764.543.330.035
1985-86CHI.457.474.167.462.840.533.381.055.487.495.282.493.756.541.341.038
1986-87CHI.482.491.182.484.857.562.427.029.480.490.301.488.763.538.343.053
1987-88CHI.535.546.132.537.841.603.430.027.480.490.316.489.766.538. 332.057
1988-89CHI.538.553.276.546.850.614.442.055.477.490.323.489.768.537.324.074
1989-90CHI.526.548.376.550.848.606.356.125.476.488.331.489.764.537.327.076
1990-91CHI.539.551.312.547.851.605.365.051.474.488.320.487.765.534.320.082
1991-92CHI.519.533.270.526.832.579.325.055. 472.486.331.487.759.531.305.087
1992-93CHI.495.514.352.515.837.564.284.115.473.489.336.491.754.536.323.104
1994-95CHI.411.403.500.431.801.493.337.079.466.491.359.500.737.543.332.188
1995-96CHI.495.506.427.525.834.582.355.141.462.486.367.499.740.542.329.200
1996-97CHI.486.507. 374.516.833.567.304.157.455.480.360.493.738.536.320.212
1997-98CHI.465.482.238.473.784.533.381.067.450.470.346.478.737.524.330.159
2001-02WAS.416.426.189.420.790.468.252.040.445.465.354.477.752.520.293.181
2002-03WAS.445.450.291.450.821.491.212.036.442.463.349.474.758.519.302.182
Career. 497.510.327.509.835.569.358.073.469.484.340.488.757.534.323.113
13 seasonsCHI.505.520.332.518.838.580.374.077.472.487.339.490.757.536.326.104
2 seasonsWAS.432.439.241.436.805.480.231.038.443.464.351.475.755.519.298.182

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 4/13/2022.

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Why Michael Jordan Was a Better 3-Point Shooter Than Kobe Bryant | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

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Zachmo MarsupalamiCorrespondent ISeptember 14, 2011

Why Michael Jordan Was a Better 3-Point Shooter Than Kobe Bryant

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    When it comes to the myriad ways Kobe Bryant falls short of Michael Jordan, many fans are overwhelmed. At this point there may be only one hope for some to illustrate how Bryant was better than Jordan in at least one category: three point shooting.

    I wholly disagree; in fact, when you compare two players who shot almost the same percentage from 3-point range for their careers (Kobe 33.9 percent/MJ 32.7 percent) you must break it down to who used the three more effectively and at the right times.

    The NBA 3-point line has been altered over the years, but in any season, making one of three is considered "good."

    In the 1979-80, the NBA adopted the 3-point shot. During the 1994-95, 1995–96, and 1996–97 seasons, the NBA attempted to address decreased scoring by shortening the distance of the line to a uniform 22 feet (6.7 m) around the basket. From the 1997–98 season, the NBA reverted the line to its original distance of 23 feet, 9 inches (22 feet at the corners).

    MICHAEL JORDAN ONLY PLAYED TWO FULL SEASONS WHERE THE THREE POINT SHOT LINE WAS SHORTER.

    Let's break it down.

Shortened Basket Seasons (1995-1997)

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    Apparently Kobe fans don't realize when they say the basket was farther for Bryant that the basket was only shorter from 1995 to 1997.

    From 1995 to 1997 (including playoffs), Michael Jordan made 287 of 748 three pointers and he shot 38.4 percent from 3-point range.

    From 1995 to 1997 (including playoffs), Kobe Bryant made 57 of 159 3-pointers and he shot 35.8 percent from 3-point range.

    THAT'S RIGHT FOLKS—IN THE TIME THAT THE THREE POINT LINE WAS SHORTED MICHAEL JORDAN OUT-SHOT KOBE FROM 3 RANGE 38.4 PERCENT TO 35.8 PERCENT!

Their Worst Seasons

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    Despite conventional belief, Kobe Bryant has had some bad shooting 3-point seasons.

    In the third title season of 2002, Bryant shot 33/132 from 3-point range (25.0 percent). Thank goodness for 2002 Finals MVP Shaquille O'Neal.

    Both Bryant and Jordan had four bad 3-point shooting seasons, but one of them kept throwing them up anyway and the other used the 3 for its true purpose, not bonus or desperation.

    In 1999 Bryant shot 27/101 from three range for 26.7 percent shooting. In his second title season in 2001, Bryant shot 61/200 for 30. 5 percent shooting. This season, at age 32, Bryant shot 115/356 for 32.3 percent from 3-point range.

    Michael Jordan came into the league and hit a sad percentage from 3-point range in his rookie year. Luckily, he realized it and only took a few. In 1985 Jordan made 9/52 for in the regular season and 1/8 in the playoffs. In his second season Jordan made 3/18 in the regular season and 1/1 in the playoffs. In his third season, Jordan made 12/66 and 2/5 in the playoffs. In his fourth season, Jordan made 7/53 and 1/3 in the playoffs. In total including the playoffs MJ hit only 36/206 in his first four seasons. (17.5 percent)

    Kobe was better in his worst four seasons from 3-point range than Jordan was in his worst four from three range.

Single-Best Season

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    Michael Jordan shot 50 percent from 3-point range in 1995, but he only played 17 games and made 16/32.

    In 1996, Michael Jordan capitalized on the shorter 3-line and hit 111/297 for 42.7 percent from three point range (2. 7 percent lower than Bryant's career FG percentage!) That next season, Bryant hit 51/136 from the shorter 3-range for 37.5 percent. 

    Bryant has never hit over 38.3 percent from 3-point range. In 2003, Bryant hit his career-high 3 percentage by making 124/324 from three (38.3 percent).

Playoff Non-Title Season 3-Point Shooting

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    The playoffs is NBA crunch time. Bryant made the playoffs seven times without getting to the NBA Finals. In these non-finals playoffs (1997, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2011) Bryant totaled 78/226 for 34.5 percent shooting.

    Jordan made the playoffs seven times also without getting to the NBA Finals. In these non-finals playoffs (1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1995) Jordan totaled: 42/132 for 31.8 percent shooting.

    In NON-TITLE PLAYOFF RUNS Kobe and MJ each had seven postseasons. Kobe shot 34.5 percent and MJ shot 31.8 percent.

    In the regular season overall, Kobe shot a higher 1. 2 percent higher than Jordan from 3s and in non-title playoff runs he out-shot him from 3s by 2.8 percent.

Playoff Runs That Led to Finals: 3-Point Shooting

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    The NBA Finals is the highest stage of basketball in the world and every shot counts on a more important level than the regular season. The finals is where legacies are made.

    Jordan went 6/6 in the finals in his six finals playoff runs.

    Bryant went 5/7 in the finals in his seven finals playoff runs.

    In the seven postseasons where Bryant and the Lakers made the NBA Finals, Kobe shot 123/400 from 3-point range for 30.8 percent. Yes, indeed, in the postseasons where the Lakers made the Finals, Kobe actually shot worse than when his team made the playoffs but not the finals.

    In the six postseasons where Jordan and the Bulls made the NBA Finals, Jordan shot 106/314 from 3-point range for 33.8 percent. Yes, indeed, in the post seasons where the Bulls made the finals, Jordan actually shot better than when his team made the playoffs bu not the Finals.

    In the playoff seasons that led to the NBA Finals, Jordan OUTS-HOT BRYANT 33.8 percent to 30.8 percent!

NBA Finals

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    Kobe Bryant made the NBA Finals seven times and his team won five of them. In all his seven finals series combined, Kobe Bryant connected on 48/153 3s for 31.4 percent from 3-point range.

    Michael Jordan made the NBA Finals six times and his team won all six of them. In all his six Finals series combined, Michael Jordan connected on 42/114 3s for an awesome 36.8 percent from 3-point range.

    FOR THE RECORD, IN THE TWO FINALS WHERE THE 3-POINT BASKET WAS SHORTER, JORDAN SHOT 14/43 THREES FOR 32.6 PERCENT.

    IN THE FOUR FINALS WHERE THE 3-BASKET WAS FROM 23 FEET 9 INCHES (LIKE IT IS NOW), JORDAN ACTUALLY SHOT BETTER THAN IN THE TWO WHERE IT WAS SHORTER. HE MADE 28/70 THREES FOR 40 PERCENT!

Conclusion: Jordan Was Better at Threes Than Kobe

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    In the end, it looks like Bryant took lots more 3s in the regular season than Jordan.  And in the regular season, he indeed shot better from that range than MJ (33.9 percent to 32.7 percent).

    In playoff runs that didn't lead to the finals, Kobe shot a higher percent from 3-range than MJ.

    In Jordan's best 3-point shooting season, he shot over 42 percent and Bryant's best was at 38 percent.

    In their worst four seasons, Kobe shot a higher percent than Jordan.

    In playoff runs that led to the NBA Finals, Jordan out-shot Bryant from 3-range.

    In actual finals series, Kobe made 48/153 for 31.4 percent, and Jordan made 42/114 for 36.8 percent.

    In finals where Jordan had a shorter 3-point line, he shot 32.6 percent (higher than Kobe's total either way).  BUT IN finals with the long 3, Jordan SHOT EVEN BETTER AT AN AMAZING 40 percent!

    Also, Jordan's 3-point mastery is known across the world. He recorded the NBA's most amazing and famous 3-point shooting display of all time when he hit six threes before halftime in game one of the 1992 Finals.

    In conclusion, yes Bryant shot 1.2 percent better in the regular season over Jordan for his career, but Bryant took so many that he will forever have a career shooting clip of 45 percent. All those 3s never won extra titles, and, in fact, he shot way worse in his finals series.

    When it counted the most and the title was on the line (best time to shoot 3s if needed), Michael Jordan showed that any which way you look at it, he is the most flawless player of all time and an unmatched clutch master who indeed earned the title in every way of GOAT!!!

    It is an undebatable fact that Jordan was better at 3s than Bryant. Shooting tons of 3s at 33.9 percent will never win games, but the 3 is a weapon, when chosen and used correctly, that can make all the difference in the world! Thanks for the memories MJ.

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90,000 Jordan couldn't shoot three-pointers. How would he survive in modern basketball? - Tablet - Blogs

In recent days, Kevin Durant, Shaquille O'Neal, Dennis Rodman, David Falk and a bunch of journalists have expressed their belief that if Michael Jordan were on modern venues in his peak condition, he would be even cooler than our idea of ​​it. And I would even score either 40 or 50 points on average.

ESPN went even further. They added a 3-point shot to Jordan's statistically best season and adjusted his performance to reflect increased pace (+11%) and scoring (+17%). In this pseudo-scientific way, they came up with the “exact value”: Michael Jordan would now be averaging 45 points per game. Even taking into account the obvious gaps (in 89Since the pace in the league was actually higher than it is now, and the three-point percentage is taken from those seasons when the three-point arc was closer), this technique does not inspire much confidence.

How many points would Michael Jordan average in today's game?

We did the math. pic.twitter.com/mj9z0H0AJe

— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) May 8, 2020

Since fantastic math is clearly not an option, let's try fantastic analytics and decompose Jordan's game into elements - in what form they would fit into the framework of a three-point basketball.

Athleticism and Fundamental Skills

Jordan is commonly thought of as basketball perfection: he had no obvious gaps, so it's easy to present him on today's courts in the same dominant vein. Unlike, for example, Shaquille O'Neal or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who would have a hard time running all over the site for snipers.

"The Last Dance" breaks sports documentary records. That's why you should definitely watch it

The problem is that modern sports are much more intense and athletic. And the ease of asserting oneself at the expense of the guys from the 90s does not necessarily mean the same ease against much better prepared people who grew up in tougher competition. So the very first question is what would be the advantage of a hypothetical Jordan, if at all.

Jordan's athleticism - for all its many facets of display - is not well documented.

First, the speed.

In the early 80's, the New York Times reported that Jordan ran 40 yards in 4.38 seconds , an excellent result and one of the best for people with almost two meters tall. In 2020, only four people outperformed the NFL Draft Combine.

But bloody battles have been waged around this figure for forty years now. University of North Carolina coach Roy Williams claims to this day that Jordan actually tried out for the football team and did just that (he repeated this many times). But there is no other confirmation or video recording (which some old Internet users recalled having).

In his era, Jordan was one of the fastest players in the NBA. If you believe these numbers, then he would be one of the fastest players (for his height for sure) today.

Second, jump.

It is clear that Michael Jordan is “His Air”, a two-time dunk contest champion, a gold league dunker, the creator of the “hang time” illusion… And so on.

Again, on the Internet, along with 4.38 seconds, dangles for decades is the number of 46 inches (116 cm), which should represent Jordan's vertical jump . If it's true, then the only person in modern basketball who matches this level of athleticism is Zach Lavigne, one of the iconic dunkers of our time.

It's hard to say anything more precisely, but there doesn't seem to be any mistrust towards the person who did this.

Thirdly, and the only thing that is certain is the length of the arms. Jordan's wing span was about 211 cm, this is the gold standard for modern small forwards (such as Iguodala). LeBron James, for example, has 214 cm arms.

One might guess that one of the best defensive players in the history of basketball with key defensive anthropometry is doing just fine. But it is, just make sure that against the background of today's more athletic, larger players, Jordan would not appear unexpectedly short-armed and weak.

Finally, dribbling and footwork.

With legs, everything is more or less clear: the ballet from Michael Jordan has long become the gold standard of basketball. You will not find anything like this now: such aesthetics of movements, absolute control over the body, classical correctness and ease of movement are a combination of both natural talent and the old school. It was dancing dangerously close to the ring that Jordan and Chicago's offense was largely based on, certainly in recent years, when he handed over physically.

His dribbling might seem puritanical to modern connoisseurs of Kyrie Irving or Allen Iverson. But it was definitely very practical: outwardly, as if uncomplicated, devoid of any frills, and indeed of any elements other than crossovers and transfers behind the back, but at the same time effective. Jordan has only 2.7 career turnovers averaging which is an underestimated low for someone who spends so much time on the ball, attacking on an industrial scale and ramming for his team. Also, don't forget that Jordan was part of the 88/89 season.and completely played on the point guard position (then the losses jumped to 3.6). And then Clyde Drexler said: "Jordan dribbles much better than even Magic Johnson." There was no mystery in his dribbling, and in general he did not like to hammer the ball aimlessly, but with minimal means he went to the point that was comfortable for him to attack.

In short: based on his physique and fundamental basketball skills, there is no reason to believe that Jordan would not be the same ideal athlete even against the background of modern athletes. Perhaps modern medicine would have helped him prolong his career (and also forced him to give up smoking). But everything that nature gave him is transferred to our days without any problems. Michael Jordan - the perfect athlete in the 90s, hypothetical Michael Jordan is still a chic athlete in our time .

Protection

Here's a great quote.

"In my opinion, Michael is actually a defensive player who just happens to be an incredibly talented offensive player." - BJ Armstrong claims that Jordan was much better at defending his own rim.

Jordan's defensive reputation is perfectly illustrated by two things. The first is that in one season he received the MVP award and the best defender. The second - killed Utah with an interception against Malone and an instant attack without stopping.

Jordan is the only player since '73/74 (since the tally started) to break 200 steals and 100 blocks twice. Only once did Scottie Pippen and Hakeem Olajuwon do it.

Jordan was included in the symbolic defensive five of the league nine times and throughout the 90s was part of the team, year after year included in the elite defense (in '96, with a motivated Rodman, they were the best in the NBA). And he taught him that the attacking load does not interfere with him in his own half, that he is the best in terms of formal defensive indicators, that he is good both in hurdling behind Reggie Miller and in shoving with some two-meter Drexler, as well as in safety net. And the fact that if you make him angry, then he will also take out his soul along with the ball.

Jordan hasn't always been invincible. Can you name the NBA stars who beat Michael more often than lost to him?

Actually, things are a bit more complicated.

First of all, the intensity of Jordan's defense is mythologized.

“When he hit 38 a game and later when he dropped and only hit 30, Michael was gifted enough, smart enough, prepared enough not to waste energy on defense,” explains Danny Ainge. “I would compare it to a five-speed gearbox. He played in third gear and was better than most. And in the end, he turned on the fifth and went out on Scotty's power.

Next - Jordan could often take risks. Hence such a number of interceptions and blocks, but this constantly led to problems for the team. This was especially evident in the 80s, when the Doberman Pippen and Grant were still in the puppy stage.

In the early seasons, Jordan was criticized for weak defense (taking a lot of risks, helping poorly), and he gradually gained in understanding of the game, and learned to be more useful. In addition, he has learned not to miss stupid fouls due to the excessive aggressiveness of the defense. During the first three-pit, he began to break down opponents - for example, he specially prepared for defense against Dumars and Thomas. And the example of a super-wise defense is the second three-pit when Jordan controlled the situation and predicted the actions of opponents.

Finally, Jordan sometimes had problems against opponents of superior size. For example, he was trampled a little by Magic Johnson in the final-91.

All these defects, however, do not particularly interfere with the dominant appearance of the hypothetical Michael Jordan on the modern site.

Athleticism, standing speed, huge wingspan, jump, high intelligence - all these are the components that allow Jordan to be seen as an impeccable defender one on one as well as an ideal player for modern defense. He would have no problem exchanging and defending against at least four positions. It could be thrown at the main point guard at key minutes. You can imagine him stalking Steph Curry the way he once did Miller. Or a belayer on the weak side - fast hands, good reading of the game and a love of blocks would not go anywhere.

If anything, in our time, theoretically it would be even easier for him: he would be allowed to rest in defense on the guardianship of a static sniper in the corner, much more freedom for risky traps, much fewer people now can push him due to his size, it’s impossible to imagine so that someone even has the idea to check it one by one.

It's hard to say if Jordan could have been the best defenseman in the league today. For the guard now, this is an almost impossible task. But perhaps Patrick Beverley's uncanny block and steal numbers and bloodlust at the level would have drawn attention to him.

Attack

Now for something that will require maximum imagination.

There are three key differences between the Jordan era and the present.

1. Jordan couldn't shoot three-pointers, and today's basketball is based on long shots

This is how Jordan's activity chart looks like. This is how the diagram of modern basketball looks like.

When Jordan was at university, there was no 3-point arc at all. He worked on the shot throughout his career, put the skeptics against an imaginary wall during the final-92 and came out on 43% of hits in the 96/97 season ... But this is not all that: he showed decent efficiency numbers from the arc only in those seasons when the league moved the arc closer, from 7.24 to 6.71. Yes, and then it was not serious 3-3.5 attempts per game.

Jordan's greatness, what his entire career is built on, all his victories, is a phenomenal shot from the middle, with which nothing could be done. Due to the work of the legs, due to sharpness, due to the jump, Jordan took off (sometimes even with a deviation) and found himself out of the opponent's reach. All his great moments in this sense are pretty monotonous: step, stop, jump out, twist the brush - champagne.

Approximately all opponents spoke about it like this. Defending against Jordan was very easy - all you had to do was pray.

“It was hard with Reggie Miller - you had to run a lot after him,” recalled John Starks. - You had to chase his ass all over the partner and run into screens. Michael didn't have to run. He just got the ball and went against you. He was one of the few guys in the league who didn't have any flaws. The scouts studied it and basically told you, "Good luck to you today." The only weakness is that he weakly attacked from behind the arc. At the same time, sometimes he scored and over time he got better.

There are no such second or even third numbers in modern basketball for a long time. The challenge for today's Jordanian players is to stretch the defense with the threat of a long-range hit. And if you throw like Andre Roberson, then you become a burden for the team.

A hypothetical Jordan, if he had been born in the 90s, would have improved his long-range shot by almost 99%. The fact that this would be successful can be judged by a stable free kick, and by the effectiveness of long-range middles, and by constant shooting progress. But in the form in which we know the game of MJ, now it would be impossible. One of the biggest winners in basketball history, a walking anomaly in terms of workload and efficiency - due to the bias towards long shots - is behind those savvy in analytical basketball in terms of true shooting .

2. Jordan played in the handchecking era, now he would have more freedom

Since the late 70s, the NBA has been trying to remove the control of the attacking player by the defensive player with the hands from basketball. It was only in 2004 that it was completely possible to do this - exactly at that moment the league changed radically: players with the ball had more freedom, the game went out from under the shield into the field, “small” ones began to dominate basketball, not “big ones”. The NBA has changed towards more technical and less power basketball. Today, defenders can hardly keep up even with big players and not so nimble players - even such a body is problematic to control even such a body without hands.

Jordan did not have all of these advantages. The pick-and-rolls, isolations, backhanding, off-ball play that made him famous as one of the best attacking players in history are all the more phenomenal because he succeeded against the backdrop of the previous rules. They hit him with hands, he regularly had to deal with dirt, but even with such resistance, nothing helped. Jordan has the highest average attack percentage (51). Higher than Dirk Nowitzki (50), Kobe (48), Carmelo Anthony and Russell Westbrook (47), all of whom peaked close to us .

Usually they say here that Jordan was playing against whoever. But this thesis cannot be supported by anything: Jordan collected titles of the league's top scorer and took the championship against the resistance of the best defenders of his era, who played an order of magnitude tougher than in modern basketball. He played against Scottie Pippen (in training), against Joe Dumars and Sidney Moncrief, against Dennis Rodman and Dennis Johnson, against Clyde Drexler and Ron Harper, against Michael Cooper and Alvin Robertson, against Dan Marley and Gary Payton, against Kobe Bryant and Eddie Jones. These are all the best stoppers in the history of basketball, with multiple hits in defensive fives, with a bunch of scalps in the belt. But no one has ever heard of any of them succeeding in stopping Jordan enough to render him ineffective (including Pippen).

This is what leads to the fact that in modern basketball Jordan would be even more successful - it would be much easier for him to beat one on one. And he did it quite successfully.

3. Modern defenses are more intricate, and therefore Jordan would have to rely more on partners.

Prior to this, the league forced one-on-one defense: if a defender tried to get on the defensive side and move more than two steps away from his counterpart, a technical remark followed.

Accordingly, teams with superstars used this rule: the team retreated to the weak side and left half the court for the star to beat one on one. And that’s why Dennis Rodman, who didn’t look at the ring, and frank lumberjacks-centers, and those who didn’t know how to throw at all could play in the NBA - it was enough for them to go to the arc, and the defenders were forced to follow them, not because they were dangerous there, just such rules.

In 2001, the league removed the ban on zone defense and left only the only amendment that retains the concept of "illegal defense": according to modern rules, a defending team player cannot stay in three seconds for more than three seconds. Every 2.9seconds, he must go out of the "paint", otherwise the opponent gets the right to a technical foul and a free kick. This is to keep the centers ("rim protectors") moving and not staying under the rim all the time.

Tom Thibodeau moved the zone defense from a practically allowed to a completely allowed state. As an assistant coach and head of defense for Boston in 2007-08, he came up with a new defensive tactic that eliminated any eliminations. "Big" (first Kevin Garnett, and then in "Chicago" Joaquim Noah) every 2.9for a second he took a step out of the “paint”, then entered it again, and thus on the strong side, on the side of the ball, Boston had an additional insurer. Two defenders remained on the weak side against three players, but the point of such a defense is that the defending players must have time to change lines faster than the ball moves.

This strategy has proven effective against the league's top stars. Boston always stopped LeBron James before his move to Miami. The Dallas Zone then stopped LeBron James in the 2011 Finals. Both San Antonio and Golden State did the same with certain nuances against James in their finals.

Defenses have become much more complex these days, from formations (such as Nick Nurse's box-and-aow style and other zone options) to trickery (such as Harden's guarding from the back).

At the same time, in our time, the attack still has an advantage, as it has learned to overcome any tricks with the help of high-quality recruitment. That “Chicago” in modern basketball is unthinkable: no one would pay attention to the centers and Rodman, Scottie Pippen would not throw, even Jordan could not create space on the side of the ball. Three-point basketball requires a very different set of support staff: at least four throwers, defensive stretchers, players to help find exchanges and attack the opponent's worst defenders. Those Bulls would have been eaten as the defense focused on two dangerous players. Today, neither the triangular offense without Curry-Thompson-level super snipers, nor DeRozan's two-point basketball in the Spurs, work very well.

Jordan himself in the 2000s admitted that it would be very difficult for him with the “zone”. But by 2020, the effectiveness of the “zone” was reduced due to multiple threats from the perimeter, due to small fives, due to the lack of rim protectors in the “paint”. Under Jordan's skills in modern basketball, a completely different team is needed.

New (not quite) role

All of this leads to what Jordan would be like in 3-point basketball.

In the 80s, Chicago didn't have much of a choice. With the arrival of Phil Jackson, the ball was taken away from Jordan: the non-throwing Pippen was not dangerous on the side, so the functions of the playmaker were entrusted to him, and Jordan remained a classic shooting guard.

As mentioned above, there are no such players in modern basketball. If you can't shoot from a distance, then you turn into Dwyane Wade under LeBron James - you are certainly treated with respect, but this is not quite the level of the greatest players.

The fashion trend of recent years is building a team around a backbone player who takes on the functions of point guard. It could be the huge LeBron James who has been doing this since the Heat. It could be a 19-foot shooting guard.8 cm James Harden, who became number one with the arrival of Mike D'Antoni. It could be Luka Doncic, whom Rick Carlyle first described as the fourth, and then appointed the main one. It could even be the seven-footer Antetokounmpo seen in the unexpected role of Jason Kidd. The easiest way to get the most out of a superstar is to make him a basketball quarterback and open the court for him with the right environment.

The funny thing is that Jordan with an owl-stretching globe can be considered the progenitor of this trend. He, the nominal number two, was completely entrusted with the ball, attack, the fate of coaches and life back in the late 80s . There were big point guards (Robertson, Magic) before him, but he was specifically transferred to the position of “archangel” of offense and given the appropriate help - three-point contest champion Craig Hodges. He even outstripped Russell Westbrook in the desire for triple-doubles: he constantly approached the table to find out his statistics, for which he received a portion of public censure.

So, if you need to consider Jordan in modern basketball, then it seems that you need to look for him in two options, the choice between which is explained not by stylistic preferences, but solely by the quality of partners.

The first is Jordan as an "isolation machine" supported by long-range artillery, so much more aggressive to play inside James Harden.

Jordan with the ball in his hands, they create the necessary exchange for him to beat him one-on-one (a large body that he can easily go around, or a shibzdik that he can easily push) and space. Even if he doesn’t get Harden’s three-pointer, he still has more sharpness and more freedom for passes, because at 90's, Jordan couldn't get under the shield so actively, because seven-footers like Ewing, Robinson or Olajuwon could surface there. Even back then, Jordan was picking up an endless amount of whistles on himself – in this day and age, everyone would hate him even more than Harden, because he would not leave the penalty line.

Jordan played a successful part of his career in a completely different system, but there is no evidence that he could not pull the safety net and throw it to the perimeter with throwers, as all modern point quarterbacks do. If anything, Jordan is one of the best assists in history: despite being the league's top scorer 10 times, 25% of his team's goals came from his passes.

The second is Jordan as a leaner and healthier Kawhi Leonard, inscribed in some more complex offense (options: Spurs -16, Raptors -19).

Leonard's 37-38% three-point percentage is way too much for Jordan in the '90s. But theoretically, one can imagine that they will find a place for him away from the ball and will search either in the post, or at an average distance after the connections, or pass handoffs to him at speed. After all, the place is even Demar Derozan.

Jordan will receive the ball after the screen is already inside the zone, and then crawl between the defenders or shoot with his middles. It seems that such an irrelevant element for analytical basketball does not interfere with Lenard at all, on the contrary, it looks extremely effective against those working against the pass and three-point systems. If we bring Jordan's physics right to the present day, then he should be much lighter, faster and more effective at shooting than Lenard. (And passing is again much better).

(There is also a third version of . The real Jordan came into the game of giants and made it a game of small ones, that is, he changed basketball as we knew it. So a hypothetical Jordan could also create some epochal revolution, but I just don't have enough imagination to visualize it).

Purely by way of sketch, one would think that Jordan would have a slight advantage over today's superstars. He would certainly have to change his game, give up long middles, minimize deflection shots, play less with his back to the ring, rely more on partners, give more to the arc. But in the conditional "Houston" in the place of Harden or in the conditional "Clippers" in the place of Leonard, he would still be a little better.

Harden has averaged 44 points and 10 assists per 100 possessions in the last three seasons. Lenard has 38 points and 6 assists per 100 possessions in the last two seasons. Peak Jordan has 43 points and 8 assists per 100 possessions. Multiply this by whichever factor seems most fair to you.

Why is Michael Jordan considered the greatest? Explaining to anyone who hasn't seen it

Photo: East News/AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, Mark Elias; Gettyimages.ru/J.D. Cuban

How to train to be successful: Michael Jordan's 10 secrets

American Michael Jordan is a basketball legend, one of the best defenders in history. He possessed explosive power, and for high jumps he was nicknamed "Air Jordan" . The recently released miniseries The Last Dance on Netflix provides a behind-the-scenes look at the historic 1997-1998 NBA season as Michael Jordan fought the Chicago Bulls for their sixth championship. The series turned out to be dramatic, shocking and frank. He revealed the stories of many players and allowed us to better understand the character of Michael Jordan - a man who was ready to do anything to win.

Find out what Michael Jordan did to get into his best shape.

He got up very early

Morning workouts were a must for Michael Jordan. They started at 5:30, the athlete was usually accompanied by teammates. They wanted to gain an edge over their rival, the Detroit Pistons. And it really worked: soon after the introduction of morning workouts into the training plan, the Bulls were able to beat the competition.

He trained hard for many years

Michael's trainer Tim Grover wanted to add morning workouts for a month to help athletes get in shape and overcome temporary challenges. After those 30 days, Jordan continued to train at the same pace for the next 15 years. Waking up early in the morning is not easy, but it was the morning workouts that gave Michael an advantage over other athletes.

He worked on explosive power

In order to keep the Chicago Bulls from winning, the Detroit players came up with a tactic: they tried not to let Jordan jump, because when he was in the air, it was impossible to beat him. Michael understood this and worked hard on explosive strength in the gym - improving his vertical jump and squat jump, and these movements helped him in the fight. Thanks to explosive strength training, Michael Jordan became faster, it was impossible to stop him.

He ate a lot of protein

Working out in the gym is only half the battle. Just as important is what you eat. Michael Jordan burned a lot of calories while playing and training. He had to increase his daily calorie intake when the volume of training increased. He began to consume more protein, because this is the main building block for muscles.

He paid attention to stretching

It was important for the best basketball player in history to remain agile and flexible, so Jordan did dynamic stretching before each workout and static stretching after it.

He did bodyweight exercises

Not all workouts Michael Jordan lifted dumbbells and barbells. Many of his classes consisted only of bodyweight exercises such as pull-ups. Everything in the complex helped Michael in the jump - he was really invulnerable when he flew into the air, thanks to a combination of explosive strength, muscle strength and agility. Training made him invincible.

He went beyond

Michael trained with dedication and was always willing to do more than he was asked to. For example, if the coach told him to do 8 reps of an exercise, Michael did 12, even when it seemed like he had used up all his strength.

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