Which current NBA players would match up the best against Michael Jordan?

[insidehoops]

Which current NBA players would match up the best against Michael Jordan?

And why?

[FromDowntown]

LeBron with better scoring, bigger size, more dominant individually, better defender, higher IQ

[3ball]

No one matched his athleticism at 6'6"

So no one would matchup well

I don't see anyone quick enough to slow him down except shorter guys

Bigger guys like peak Rodman could only do spot duty on him

[oldtimer28]

Which current NBA players would match up the best against Michael Jordan?

And why?
Jimmy Butler. Could make him work on both ends.

But Jordan has the ultimate determination to suceed.

[3ball]

Jimmy Butler. Could make him work on both ends.

But Jordan has the ultimate determination to suceed.
Butler is a good one - he has better lateral quickness and lighter on his feet than anyone else 6'6" or 6'7", but is still real strong

He's also tough

[Turbotoshi69]

His atheltisisim maybe cannot be matched, but the logic, tactics and gameplay is much more technical then used to be, we learn from the mistakes that the guys in the past made, so we technicly seeing proffesionals playing a more competitive game each year or generation.

[3ball]

His atheltisisim maybe cannot be matched, but the logic, tactics and gameplay is much more technical then used to be, we learn from the mistakes that the guys in the past made, so we technicly seeing proffesionals playing a more competitive game each year or generation.

Today's higher level of technicality on defense is due to all the extra space, which requires additional strategy to compensate

MJ would have more space to operate today and less physicality to endure

[ArbitraryWater]

If MJ tried to dunk on Bron he'd end up in a bodybag.

[3ball]

If MJ tried to dunk on Bron he'd end up in a bodybag.


MJ would smash on Lebron the same way he did Bron's cousin, Orlando Woolridge:


https://i.makeagif.com/media/8-08-2015/zC5nUD.gif

[AlternativeAcc.]

MJ would smash on Lebron the same way he did Bron's cousin, Orlando Woolridge:


https://i.makeagif.com/media/8-08-2015/zC5nUD.gif
Here's what he did to 'white Jordan'


https://gifrific.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/LeBron-James-Blocks-Tiago-Splitter-Game-2-2013-NBA-Finals.gif

[3ball]

Here's what he did to 'white Jordan'


https://gifrific.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/LeBron-James-Blocks-Tiago-Splitter-Game-2-2013-NBA-Finals.gif

Easiest block ever

Looked nice.. but not actually hard

The only impressive thing was how he pushed the ball backwards.. but anyone can make that block/deflection

[LostCause]

Durant himself literally just said Jordan would be the best player in the league today (11:30 of the video)


https://youtu.be/GXrzZmJgzbs?t=690

From a match-up standpoint, probably Kawhi

[Kblaze8855]

It always sounds like nostalgia to people who weren’t there but really....


Theres nothing anyone could do to individually about Jordan in this league. His quickness and precision is hard to explain without sounding like hyperbole and the way they will just switch everything and leave bigs on islands now? With a court full of shooters?

No one defender could keep him out of the lane. The strong guys with length might make him have to exploit their lack of foot speed but most players? He’s looking them right in the eye and walking past them like they aren’t there. Straight line. No move. Catch the ball square up and blow by over and over and over.

You can’t guard Jordan in a league like we have now. You could play off young Jordan a bit and hope his shot was off but late 80s Jordan and forward?

You can’t guard him one on one today. So there is no very good individual matchup. I’m sure a coach or two would find a way to bug him with their overall approach but it wouldn’t be because the man assigned to him was doing a great Job individually.

Klay would be interesting matchup wise though. MJ is giving him 65 one night if truly guarded without help but the warriors wouldn’t allow that. He would get help....and has the style to try to wear MJ out on the other end. Off ball movement. Can’t relax. Can’t ignore him and just play safety and guard the whole side of the floor like he and Pippen were capable of. Plus he has some strength and a bit of post game if they decide to target MJs legs making him defend all game and hoping he slows down on the other end?

Be a good matchup.

Most of the one on one scorers we have now I think Mike makes it personal and could take several of them out of the game for stretches. But guys like Klay can make you work harder when they don’t have the ball. Like Reggie with more space to move.

Klay/Jordan would obviously favor MJ like every other matchup....but it would be fun to see.

[red1]

I would go with kawhi with no hesitation. he has the best physical and mental attributes. he's strong so you cant post him up easily and he has quick hands and great length so he puts pressure on you all the time with ball security. and with kawhi there is zero psychological warfare. you're not throwing him off at all you could drop 50 on his head and he'll come down and guard you his hardest the next play every time.


jordan would still score his usual points but kawhi would make it as hard for him as anyone ever could and the I'd bet the efficiency would take a slight dip and start looking more like kobe numbers. something like 32 points on 44% shooting.

[Manny98]

The only player I have ever seen shut down MJ is Gary Payton and the closest thing to him in todays NBA is Marcus Smart

If we're talking about going at eachother head to head I'd pick Kawhi.

[LAmbruh]

The only player I have ever seen shut down MJ is Gary Payton and the closest thing to him in todays NBA is Marcus Smart

If we're talking about going at eachother head to head I'd pick Kawhi.

well said

it would be easy to sag off Jordan at the 3pt line and give him the Rondo treatment, dude was atrocious shooter behind the arc


https://media.giphy.com/media/QvexeT6k1Z5BOq0YB9/giphy.gif

[Phoenix]

Thing with MJ is that as he evolved as a scorer he just had too many things to throw at you. If he was just the type of iso scorer to dribble the ball out the air for 20 seconds of the clock, a guy like Kahwi could set up in front of him and do a good job defending with his length and anticipation.

But peak MJ either was blowing past you if you got up too close, face you up, employ some shimmys and shakes then shoot out of the triple threat, come off screens and catch/shoot, or get into the post. Alot of his moves he made very quickly, he'd size you up, take two hard dribbles then plant and rise while your bodys momentum is working against you. Or as soon as he saw the double he'd spin the other way and work the baseline. His ability to read and react when you were out of position defensively was way too surgical for all but a few guys to consistently contest. It's really a case of having the kitchen sink thrown at you, you may take away something at a given moment but too many other tools in the drawer to pull from.

That said I'm rolling with Kawhi. He's the most obvious choice to me and since he's a dangerous scorer in his own right, that's a great two way matchup for both guys.

[Bronbron23]

LeBron with better scoring, bigger size, more dominant individually, better defender, higher IQ

Shows you probably didnt watch mj at all. Bron is way to slow laterally to gaurd mj. Mj would kill him. You hsve to pick your poison with mj when it come to gaurding him. You can go bigger and longer but a bit slower or shorter but a bit faster. Most coaches would put a smaller quicker gaurd on mj so that they could stay in front of him better and force mj to have to shoot jumpers over them. That was the lesser of the 2 evils because if you put someone bigger like bron mj would just use his lightning first step to blow by him and now your defense is broken down and your at mj's mercy.

Coaches now days will do the same with bron alot of the time. Its better to put someone on bron whos a few inches shorter and a little faster laterally who can stay in front of bron then to put someone on bron who cant stay in front of him and who bron can drive by and finish or pass to a wide open guy if the defense helps.

One of the main differences between mj and bron is that when teams would put someone smaller on mj alot of the time hed take them in the post to where he could use his size to score over them. Bron even though hes big and one of the strongest people in the league has rarely done this throughout his career. I always felt like he could of scored 4 to 6 more points a game if hed utilize the post more. Especially in those circumstances. Probably would of won more chips too.

[dbugz]

The best player in the past 10 years.

KD :pimp:

aint winning against the GOAT though.

[72-10]

Kawhi Leonard

[sdot_thadon]

Probably Kawhi from 3 or 4 years back, I think there would be other guys that could make him work in a team focused concept but individually most would be eaten alive. A guy like Pat Bev though i hate his guts would be interesting to see if he could irritate him. And alot of guys overlook something in the concept of "unguardable" Kobe was unguardable one on one but guys have off nights, even Mj. So there may be a night where blank can't stay in front of him to save his life but the jumper isn't there. I think this era would be more scheme based in trying to contain him than a single guy anyhow.

[Gougou]

Kawhi Leonard, im Toronto fan but this is still non biased.

Maybe George or Giannis can do well against him.

[SATAN]

well said

it would be easy to sag off Jordan at the 3pt line and give him the Rondo treatment, dude was atrocious shooter behind the arc


https://media.giphy.com/media/QvexeT6k1Z5BOq0YB9/giphy.gif

:roll: