NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The ongoing war between Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan will never end if Pippen has his way. While it’s been mostly one-sided so to speak, that hasn’t stopped Pippen from speaking his mind whenever he feels like it. Recently, Pippen went on record saying Michael Jordan was a horrible player.
Now, before all the Jordan stans get in their feelings, let’s look at what Pippen said in its entirety and break it down from there.
I’ve seen Michael Jordan play before I came to play with the Bulls,” Pippen said. “He was a horrible player. He was horrible to play with. He was all 1-on-1. He was shooting bad shots. And all of the sudden we become a team and we start winning.
There are his words. Now, let’s be honest here, is Pippen lying at all? What people remember most about Jordan’s time in the NBA and with the Chicago Bulls are the 6 championships. But what most tend to forget are the years before he won a ring. That is what Pippen is referring to. He’s not saying Jordan was always a terrible player or teammate, but in the early years, Jordan was known as a ball-hog and 1-on-1 player.
It’s incredibly hard to look at Jordan’s stat page and argue he was a “horrible player” at any point in his career. Jordan averaged 31.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists in three seasons before Pippen was drafted.
The rest of Pippen’s take, however, could have some truth to it. Being a “horrible player” and “horrible to play with” are two very different things. Jordan averaged a career-high 37.1 points per game the year before Pippen joined the team. That probably involved Jordan passing up some open teammates so he could pick up more baskets. Perhaps that rubbed teammates the wrong way.
Is Scottie Pippen Wrong About Michael Jordan
To Pippen’s point, Jordan’s game did change after Pippen arrived. Over the next six seasons, Jordan averaged 6.2 assists and had a greater shooting percentage. That could be evidence Jordan began to trust his teammates more and stopped forcing bad shots.
Let’s do a brief breakdown. Jordan was drafted in 1984. That year he would average 28.2 points on 19.8 shots while shooting .515 percent from the floor. the bulls would win 38 games and exit in the first round of the playoffs. In his second season, Jordan suffered an injury and lasted just 17 games. In 1986, Jordan averaged 37.1 points on 27.8 FGA per game while shooting .482 percent from the floor. That season, the Bulls would win 40 games but still exit in the first round of the playoffs.
In 1987 is when Pippen arrived. That season, the Jordan barrage didn’t stop. He averaged 35 points on 24.4 FGA while shooting .535. percent from the field. The Bulls would win 50 games and make it to the second round of the playoffs.
“LeBron James will be the greatest statistical [player] to ever play the game of basketball. [Michael Jordan] was a horrible player.” – Scottie Pippen (h/t @DieHardCBfans ) pic.twitter.com/8EN5xOpJOG — NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) May 26, 2023
Now, here comes Phil Jackson and the Jordan era changed. Jackson and the front office surrounded Jordan and Pippen with great role players. While Jordan’s numbers remained the same, Jordan did not. He began to trust more. Not just his team but his body and skills. While he was still making highlight reels, Jordan was mastering the post-game as well as the mid-range attack. With Pippen and others, the Bulls would become lethal on defense.
Those 1-on-1 days were over with. What made the Bulls so deadly was they understood teamwork. Jordan got his regardless, he was just that good but Pippen is right, when Jordan learned team ball, the Bulls became unstoppable.
While Pippen may be spitting some facts, you also have to take what he says with a grain of salt. Pippen is hurt. He feels that Michael played him during the documentary “The Last Dance” and then take into account that Jordan’s son is dating Pippen’s ex-wife.
Even with all the crap pushed to the side, Pippen’s diagnosis of Jordan’s play early in his career is spot on. Michael was a different player in his younger days than the one he was while winning 6 championships.
