“Average team plays about 99 possessions”: NBA writer gives systematic breakdown of why prime Michael Jordan averaging 40+ now isn’t outlandish

The NBA has seen a massive boom in scoring in recent years, with players scoring 40 or more points more often than they did nearly a decade ago. With such a big uptick in scoring in recent years, one NBA writer believes prime Michael Jordan would average over 40 points if he played in this era.

Reposting LA Clippers coach Ty Lue’s remarks about Jordan possibly averaging 45 points in the current era, NBA analyst Sam Vicenie argued that Jordan’s 40-point average is not outlandish considering the pace in today’s games.

“(James) Harden averaged 36 in 2019. I feel like 40+ now is fairly doable,” Vicenie tweeted on Thursday. “I’m not totally convinced on 45, but I think the number starts with a four.”

Trending

Vicenie then cited Jordan's 1993 season, where he averaged 32.6 points per game while playing on a slower pace compared to this era's on-court product.

"Jordan averaged 33 playing at the slowest pace in the league for the Bulls with only 92 possessions per game in 1993. Average team plays about 99 possessions per game now. So that’s another 2-3 pts there," he said.

"Add the spacing, the way teams go more heliocentric now, more transition play, and the contact fouls on the perimeter? Think an extra bucket and an extra foul isn’t crazy to say 40+."

Jordan had his highest scoring average in 1987, when he put up 37.0 ppg in just his third year in the NBA.

He finished his 15-year NBA career with averages of 30.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg, and 5.3 apg. Jordan currently stands in the fifth spot of the all-time scoring list after accumulating 32,292 points in his entire career.

With such eye-popping scoring numbers, Jordan has become a top choice in the greatest of all time conversation after leading the Chicago Bulls to two three-peat runs in the 1990s.

Michael Jordan says he could score 100 points in the current NBA era

Michael Jordan acknowledged the changes the game underwent since his retirement in 2003. By observing how basketball is currently played, Jordan believed he would score 100 points.

"It's less physical, and the rules have changed, obviously," Jordan said during a promotional event in 2010. "Based on these rules, if I had to play with my style of play, I'm pretty sure I would have fouled out, or I would have been at the free-throw line pretty often, and I could have scored 100 points."

No one has scored 100 points in an NBA game since Wilt Chamberlain in 1962.

Today, Jordan is a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets, after selling his majority stake in the team in 2023.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback

About the author

Rob Andrew Lo

Rob Andrew Lo is an NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda with over three years of experience in the field. Rob studied journalism at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Philippines and his love for sports made this an obvious career to pursue.

Rob's favorite team is the Oklahoma City Thunder. He grew up watching Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant and his admiration for them left not only a lasting impression but solidified his fandom.

When not working, Rob loves to play basketball. If he isn't watching or writing about basketball, he can probably be found watching pro wrestling.

Know More