LeBron James or Michael Jordan? One of basketball’s most asked questions is also one of its most impossible to answer. Apart from the overwhelming differences in their eras, Jordan and James never played the same style of basketball.
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On the offensive end, MJ’s usage rate went up to as much as 38.2% during his career. LeBron, on the other hand, never crossed the 34% mark. Mike leads the NBA with 10 scoring titles to his name, while James has one. However, this is not as much a flaw in The King’s game as it is a by-product of his style of play.
Jordan was always a score-first star, who reached his career-high 8.0 assists per game during the 1989 season. LeBron has crossed that mark six times in his career, including 2020 where he led the league in assists and secured his sole assists title – a rare accolade that MJ never added to his name.
However, one question that doesn’t come up often is whether James’ play style would affect the Chicago Bulls roster that won 72 games. If we swapped Jordan for LeBron, would the Bulls still three-peat from 1996 to 1998?
James’ fit on the ‘Last Dance’ Bulls
Pippen and Rodman created one of the league’s most effective trios ever with Jordan. Their fit alongside The Akron Hammer becomes one of the first talking points of this hypothetical.
While many have compared Pippen’s game to LeBron’s, the two have never actually been that similar. Scottie’s physical gifts were limited to his frame, as he wreaked havoc on defense with his 7’3 wingspan. He was never an explosive player like James, though the two do share the ability to make plays for their teammates.
This would work exceptionally well given Phil Jackson’s triangle offense, which emphasized ball movement and high IQ play creation. Pippen and LeBron would be unstoppable in that system, as both possess the intelligence to accurately read defensive rotations and find the best possible shot for their team.
James’ gravity as a scorer would even allow the athletic finishing of Rodman to flourish, as LBJ could deliver dump-offs whenever he faced a double-team. LeBron has shown the ability to defer to his teammates during the Heat days when Wade and Bosh would often run plays that did not include the King.
This would allow Pippen and James to switch as the primary creators. In contrast to Jordan, who Pippen had to feed the ball to, LeBron would create many more opportunities for Scottie to score.
Even as a scorer himself, LBJ has proven that he has the skillset and adaptability to be effective within the triangle. When James played in Miami, he was scoring 46% of his points from the midrange and 41% from the paint. He was converting them at a ridiculous 60% rate in the 2012-13 season, proving that he could effectively create shots within a triangle offense.
Furthermore, Pippen was at the peak of his three-point shooting during the Bulls’ second three-peat as he was hitting 37% of his threes while attempting 5 a game. This made him a top 20 perimeter scorer at the time and he was a big part of Chicago’s floor spacing.
LeBron’s drive-and-kick game has been the primary system of offense throughout his career. And on the Bulls, he would be able to employ those principles in the triangle offense, with Pippen, Toni Kukoc, and Ron Harper threatening from deep.
What could the starting line-up look like?
Defensively, adding James to the Chicago Bulls might make them the best defensive team since Bill Russell’s Celtics. 6’6 Harper would guard the 1, boasting the strength and agility to switch onto most shooting guards as well.
The 2, 3 and 4 spots on the team would be the most versatile in the NBA, with Pippen, James and Toni Kukoc having the ability to switch on most matchups. Notably, Kukoc was also shooting 40% from deep in 1996, making him the perfect 4 for this lineup over Dennis Rodman.
The Worm could slot in as an undersized center, specializing on boards and providing backup at the rim. Combining the best defensive seasons of each player’s career, this starting lineup alone could nab over 10 steals a game.
If Steve Kerr wasn’t coming off the bench at the time, he would also be a candidate for the team’s shooting guard. The continuous movement sets of the triangle offense would force defenses to chase Kerr around and create open shots for the sharpshooter off of LeBron and Pippen’s gravity.
However, given how many giants dominated the league at the time, it might be worth exploring a lineup where Luc Longley slots in at the 5 and Rodman plays the power forward position. Though this would reduce the team’s spacing, it would be a nightmare for teams to convert shots in the paint against this starting five.
Even with James’ vulnerability against smaller players on the perimeter, the help defense on this roster would be more than capable of plugging any gaps. LeBron served this role in Miami too, where he would frequently fly in from the wings to swat shots away and protect the rim.
Would LeBron be able to lead the Bulls to the three-peat?
After Jordan returned from retirement, the biggest hurdle in his way was Shaquille O’Neal and the Orlando Magic. Alongside Penny Hardaway, Shaq sent the Bulls packing in 1995. But with LeBron taking over from Jordan, Chicago could protect the paint more effectively as James has the strength to help double-team a young Shaq, while also possessing the speed to recover to his matchup in case of a kickout.
Against the Utah Jazz, who MJ & Co. dispatched twice during their three-peat, James’ biggest challenge would be slowing down Karl Malone. However, even here, it can be expected that Rodman’s wiry strength, paired with LeBron’s weak-side help, would limit easy scoring opportunities around the post.
On the offense too, LBJ would be unstoppable. His role in his most recent Lakers rosters has seen James perform as the primary ball-handler quite often. This might cloud the fans’ judgment about LeBron’s off-ball play. However, he is an elite pick-and-roll man who can set the screen and cut to the basket, a perennial slashing threat, and an elite shot-maker in the post.
It’s hard to imagine that adding one of the league’s best playmakers wouldn’t elevate an already historic Bulls roster. Last season, James carried an offensive load of 57.3 (the 98th percentile) while creating 14.2 open shots for his teammates (the 99th percentile). For his career, Michael Jordan carried an offensive load of 41.1 while creating an average of 10 openings for his teammates. James’ 8.1 also eclipsed MJ’s passer rating of 6.2.
The King’s versatility would more than likely be unlocked under Jackson’s coaching and given his unreal longevity, James could replicate more than Jordan’s three-peat with Hall of Fame teammates Pippen and Rodman.
