Jason Williams, AKA « White Chocolate, » was one of the fan favorites back in his playing days due to his flashy style of play and unique set of moves that amazed fans night in and night out. But lately, deep into his retirement days, Williams has gotten on the bad side of fans with a few controversial takes regarding Kobe Bryant. But he’s not done, as this MJ take will definitely not sit well with the old-school fans.
Different game
When we talk about the GOAT, Michael Jordan is the #1 pick in the eyes of the majority of the NBA fandom. But sometimes, that debate can be tricky and subjective due to the rapid change of the game over the past 20 years. The playstyle is vastly different, new types of players dominate the game, and it raises the question of how good MJ would be in today’s NBA?
A lot of people say he would feast and score about 40 points per game, considering how bad the defense is today compared to the rugged and psychical style of the 80s and 90s. But it seems like Jason Williams thinks it would actually be harder for MJ:
« Obviously, he’s going to be great. I mean, don’t get me wrong. But I think it would be a little harder for him now because, like you said, the defenses have changed, and now he’s going to have three guys on the same side of the floor when he has the ball on the wing, whereas back in the day you just had one guy. Anybody in the NBA is going to beat anybody one on one, let alone Michael Jordan. I think he’d be great, be an All-Star for sure, but not the Michael Jordan that he was back then if that’s fair to say. »
Jason Williams, BroBible
I have a feeling Williams is going to flame even more than for the Kobe comments for this one. MJ was putting up 35 a game in a time when the defense was still important, with hand-checking and opponents trying to break him. The open space, fast game, and offensive emphasis would make him only even more unstoppable.
To be clear, Williams is not saying that MJ wouldn’t be great, but that he simply wouldn’t be on a GOAT level. That is debatable, but I doubt someone as skilled and determined as Jordan wouldn’t demolish any era he played in.
