“Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant are the only 2 people who would score 38 PPG at today’s pace”: The Bulls legend and his Lakers protégé would be the only 2 players to breach the iconic number

Arun Sharma | 25/05/2022
"Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant are the only 2 people who would score 38 PPG in today's game": The Bulls legend and his Lakers protégé would be the only 2 players to breach the iconic number

Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant are 2 of the best scorers in the NBA – adjusted to today’s pace no one would outscore them.

In their peak seasons, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant were scoring over 35+ points a game. Jordan scored an incredible 37.1 points in 1987, and Kobe 35.6 in 2006. These two seasons are the most anybody has scored in the last 45 years. Kevin Durant and James Harden may be considered great scorers, but they wouldn’t hold a candle to the two legends.

The only difference between the two seasons was that one was played in an age where the pacing of the game was slower than in the rest of the eras. Kobe did it at a time when a lot of iso-ball was played, and the number of possessions was limited. The total was almost a whole 8-10 possessions lesser than today’s game per 48 minutes.

Surprisingly, back in 1987, the game was much faster than in the mid-2000s, playing almost at the same pace as today. The major difference is they didn’t make as many threes back then. Which is crazy, considering how MJ scored 2 more points despite not taking that many threes. Talk about efficient scoring!

Also Read: “Kobe Bryant averaged almost 50!”: When the Lakers legend had one of the most memorable scoring stretches in NBA history

Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant were not only great scorers – they are the only two players to be selected for multiple All-Defense teams as well

These two not just outscored almost everyone, they stopped people with great efficiency as well. They have 18 All-Defensive first teams between them. They would be unstoppable in today’s NBA, being the two-way superstars that they were.

Even if we exclude the defense factor for a minute, scoring in today’s era is easier than in the times they played in. Sure they would have to adjust their game a little, but they’d cope very easily. They are students of the game, and they would require no more than a couple of months to change their style.

If big men can make threes in today’s game, these two shooting guards would be easily making about 4 a game. Move over Steph Curry, the SG duo would be making those jaw-dropping shots.

Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant were putting people in the blender even when the game was slow – why wouldn’t they torch the defenses today?

Also Read: “Michael Jordan and Oprah both earning $30 million, what a couple”: When Charles Barkley had His Airness hilariously stumped

Post Edited By: Raahib Singh
Chicago Bulls Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers Michael Jordan

About the author

Arun Sharma

Arun Sharma is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. A double degree holder and a digital marketer by trade, Arun has always been a sports buff. He fell in love with the sport of basketball at a young age and has been a Lakers fan since 2006. What started as a Kobe Bryant obsession slowly turned into a lifelong connection with the purple and gold. Arun has been an ardent subscriber to the Mamba mentality and has shed tears for a celebrity death only once in his life. He believes January 26, 2020, was the turning point in the passage of time because Kobe was the glue holding things together. From just a Lakers bandwagoner to a basketball fanatic, Arun has spent 16 long years growing up along with the league. He thinks Stephen Curry has ruined basketball forever, and the mid-range game is a sight to behold. Sharma also has many opinions about football (not the American kind), F1, MotoGP, tennis, and cricket.

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