Michael Jordan is still regarded by many veteran NBA fans as the GOAT in basketball. The only other player that fans even entertain in this discussion is LeBron James. MJ is a Chicago Bulls legend who turned the franchise into a dynasty and brought it 6 championships in his prime.
Since he did so in the form of two three-peats, many NBA experts claim that Jordan’s prime is simply unmatched and that no other star in the league is capable of achieving similar feats. Although fans can easily observe the success that MJ brought about, his struggles and the work put in are usually an afterthought that most people don’t know much about.
The 6x NBA champion was recently interviewed by ESPN. He shared his theories as to why some players in the modern NBA are able to function well in the regular season but struggle to do the same in big playoff moments. Since there is no better source to discuss this issue, we should certainly want to know what he has to say on the subject.
What does Michael Jordan think about modern-day NBA stars?
One of the largest points of criticism against players like LeBron when compared to Jordan is the notion that they lack the “clutch gene”. Those who are unfamiliar with this term should know that the ability to knock down late-game shots with high-pressure stakes is deemed to be clutch. In the modern NBA, any points scored with less than 5 minutes remaining in the game are considered clutch buckets.
That is something that Michael has done multiple times throughout his historic postseason runs. Some of his most iconic moments in the NBA Finals involve dagger buckets that he got with seconds remaining in the game.
When interviewed, Jordan went into detail on why current NBA players are unable to replicate the feats he has done multiple times throughout his career, Some guys in the league right now, their regular seasons are different than the playoffs…Why is that? Because it’s a different kind of pressure. Those guys, when it gets stripped down, don’t believe in themselves. They aren’t sure they can hit the big shot, so they can’t. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.”
Jordan went on to further emphasize his stance, “If you have doubt or concern about a shot, or feel the ‘pressure’ of that shot, it’s because you haven’t practiced it enough. The only way to relieve that pressure is to build your fundamentals, practice them over and over, so when game breaks down, you can handle anything that transpires.”
Although it might not make much sense to claim that NBA-level players haven’t practiced enough, Jordan’s message can be interpreted along the lines that stars don’t put themselves in difficult situations. Therefore, they are unable to perform up to expectations when the stakes are increased.