“Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan’s Numbers Would Be On Steroids In Today’s Game”: Jalen Rose Dissects How Former NBA Legends Would Fare In Today’s Game

Jalen Rose echoes the sentiment held by a lot of old-timers that the likes of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant would be more dominant in today’s game.

Make no mistake – this is the most talented pool of players that the NBA has seen in its 76th season. While every sport evolves and gets better with time naturally, the scoring outburst being seen in recent NBA times is truly something else.

At the top end, players like LeBron, Curry, KD, Giannis, Luka and Embiid are expected to dominate. But the second tier of stars like Jayson Tatum, Devin Booker, Donovan Mitchell and Damian Lillard – to name a few – are a better second tier than any time in the NBA’s past.

This season, there are 42 players averaging over 20 points per game. This is in stark contrast to 2012-13, when just 9 qualified players had a scoring average higher than 20 ppg.

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Clearly, the 3-point explosion and the increased pace are factors in this development. But it is undeniable that one of the major reasons for this decline is the decline in the emphasis placed on defense by the league’s less elite teams.

Jalen Rose says Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan would be even more dominant today

Appearing on an ESPN show yesterday, former NBA player Jalen Rose had some comments to make about the scoring explosion:

“Look at today’s game, right? You see a dominant big like Jokic with Denver, or Joel Embiid, or Giannis. Imagine if players like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who’re multi-skilled, whose record LeBron James is about to eclipse, played in this era.”

“Or Wilt Chamberlain, who had 50 points and 25 boards when he did play. Or a guy like Hakeem Olajuwon. I’m going to the big guys first. And then just the physical dominance of a player like Shaq. You do a small switch with a 6’5″, 6’6″ guy that weighs 210 pounds on Shaq, he’s gonna punish him.”

“Their numbers would be on steroids.”

Amidst the scoring surge in the NBA @JalenRose details how players from past generations would fare in today’s game. pic.twitter.com/TrYkTTSisR

— Outside The Lines (@OTLonESPN) January 11, 2023

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“But then let’s go to the perimeter. Guys like Allen Iverson, when games had low-100s being scored, was averaging 30 points then. So the lack of physicality in today’s game has also opened it up for the smaller guards to be effective.”

“But then these all-time great scorers like a Kobe Bryant. Like a Michael Jordan. Their numbers would be on steroids if they played in today’s era.”