Jud Buechler appeared as a guest on The HoopsHype Podcast with Alex Kennedy in May and talked about whether Michael Jordan would succeed or struggle if he played in the NBA right now.
Buechler, one of MJ’s teammates with the Bulls, was a sharp-shooting reserve small forward with them from 1994 to 1998.
A three-time NBA champion, Buechler didn’t play much, especially in the 1997-98 season but he was beloved by teammates and fans alike and was a locker room leader.
Jud Buechler played in the NBA until 2002 and he was an assistant coach for the Lakers from 2016 to 2018. He’s currently an assistant coach for the Knicks. Having played with Jordan and being a coach in this era, Kennedy asked him about his former teammate’s chances to thrive in today’s NBA.
“Oh, he would completely dominate. The rules have changed so much and the changes would probably even help him. I mean, in the game now, they don’t allow you to be as physical,” Buechler explained.
ESPN’s ‘The Last Dance’ documented how tough the Pistons were on Jordan in 1989, 1990 and 1991.
“That type of physical play isn’t allowed as much; you can’t put your hands all over people and use that anymore. In his prime, if you put him in the NBA right now, he’d be the best player still,” Buechler said.
According to Buechler, MJ would likely average over 40 points per game.
Some people think that Jordan’s 3-point shooting would be an issue but they seem to forget about the work ethic from the six-time NBA champion. MJ would have definitely improved his 3-point shot if necessary.
“I think the rules, the spacing [would help him]. And Michael was a fantastic shooter and he always made adjustments as he got on in his career to become better and better,” Buechler added.
“If he needed to become a better 3-point shooter, that would be easy because he was a very good shooter. He was an incredible mid-range shooter, for sure, and he didn’t shoot a bunch of threes because no one really did back then. But that would be an easy adjustment for him,” Buechler concluded.
Putting 3-point shooters around Jordan would’ve made his team unstoppable because he could force opponents to double-team him every single time, creating wide-open shots for his teammates.
