Michael Jordan is the talk of the NBA once again. “The Last Dance” documentary has beautifully illustrated the rise and reign of the greatest basketball player in history. How he carried the Chicago Bulls to six championships through relentless drive, insatiable competitiveness, and often-harsh leadership is must-watch stuff. Yet nobody questions what he did because the results spoke for themselves.
At the same time, it reignited an old debate. Would Jordan have the same success in the NBA of today? Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report explored this question with several current GMs and coaches. Pretty much everybody said he’d be just as dominant. In fact, due to the lack of depth in this era among teams, most agree it would’ve been far easier to build around him.
That led neatly into another question. Which players in the league today would’ve meshed well with him and which would not? When the latter subject was broached, the same name came up multiple times.
There was also a consensus on the one player who would not work as Jordan’s right-hand man: Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant. Too much of an alpha in his own right, those canvassed said, and not likely to respond well to Jordan’s demands.
“There’s only one guy who wouldn’t willingly move over and be No. 2—KD,” the first Eastern Conference GM says. “He’d struggle playing with Michael. Too sensitive, and he’d want to shoot all the balls. If Michael yelled at him for missing too many shots, he wouldn’t have liked it.”
The second Eastern Conference GM was more succinct: “KD? No chance.”
Michael Jordan would’ve demanded more from Durant than he would give
Durant is going to be in the Hall of Fame whenever he retires. There is nothing left that he hasn’t accomplished in the NBA. People will remember him as one of the greatest scorers ever. Some of the new betting sites even tab Durant as a favorite for MVP when he makes his long-awaited return; however when it comes to being a great teammate and all-around player. That’s where the conversation starts to become a bit of an issue. Nobody will ever accuse Durant of being a facilitator or a top defender.
According to Pro Basketball Reference, Durant has a Defensive Box Plus/Minus scored of 0.7 for his career. This stat measures defensive points contributed per 100 possessions above a league average. By contrast? Scottie Pippen had a 1.8 score. Far superior. Would Durant have embraced those times when Jordan was going ISO and focus on playing defense and rebounding? Probably not.
