Former Chicago Bulls teammates Michael Jordan and Jud Buechler both remained involved in basketball after retiring as players. Jordan is the owner of the Charlotte Hornets, while Buechler is an assistant coach for the New York Knicks.
In an interview with Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype, Buechler weighed in on the topic of how Michael Jordan would fare in today’s NBA. According to him, the Bulls legend would thrive in the league with very limited physical play. He made a bold statement that Jordan would average around 45 points per game.
“In his prime, if you put him in the NBA right now, he’d be the best player still. He could probably average way more points – he’d probably average about 45 points per game or whatever. In today’s game, I think he would really thrive, for sure,” the three-time NBA champion said.
Buechler’s assessment is similar to what other basketball figures said. For instance, Jordan’s agent David Falk said the six-time NBA champion would average between 50 and 60 points per game. While a mathematical approach appointed by ESPN suggests it would be 34.4 points per game.
Jordan’s highest points per game average came during the 1986-87 season (37.1 PPG). During his career, MJ averaged 30+ points per game in 8 seasons.
