NBA legend Michael Jordan will perform the same way he did in the past if he were to play in the league today. According to Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant, the former Chicago Bulls franchise player would easily transcend different eras in the game of basketball.
Jordan collected six NBA rings and five MVP honors during his time, and KD firmly believes the billionaire athlete can replicate the same feat in the present era that is dominated by the likes of LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Durant himself.
MJ was on top then and he will be in the new NBA and KD, assuming a fanboy persona, is convinced the Bulls legend will still emerge as the best player in the league.
"He would fit in as the best player in the league. That's what he would be," Clutch Points reported the former Warriors star as saying.
KD recalled watching Jordan as a kid and he knew that each time the Bulls played the whole world was watching. Jordan was everyone's basketball hero and Durant said he was no different - he saw the NBA legend as the rockstar on the court.
Jordan when he was playing "personified winning and competitiveness," said Durant, adding that as far as he is concerned, his childhood hero is second to none.
As a man in full control of his game, KD said Jordan can make adjustments no matter what era of basketball he plays in. According to Durant: "He can adapt his game to anything."
The Nets superstar sees the six-time Finals MVP as can-do-all and one who can readily blend in the game he wishes to be part of.
"He would have more possessions to do more things. More space for M.J. to go to work. We'll never know, but for sure he's a masterful basketball player, and like we've been saying his skill level is unmatched," CBS Sports reported the 2014 MVP as saying.
However, the report added that seeing Jordan flourish with ease in the present NBA setup is hard to imagine. The game is faster now and most players are expected to snipe with decent if not deadly accuracy from beyond the arc. And the latter is not an area that Jordan can be proud of.
To be sure though, the Jordan era demands better physical exertion as the game is more deliberate and MJ thrived because he was able to perfect his brand of basketball that worked in his time.
In the same way, LeBron James is a dominant force in the NBA today because he too worked on his game and he dropped into the league at a time when his skillset matters most. It was the same thing Jordan in his glory days.
