There isn’t much debate about Michael Jordan’s illustrious career in recent years. Some days, it feels like the daily sports broadcasts focus on how Jordan performed compared to today’s players.
With that in mind, former All-Star big man Rasheed Wallace did the impossible earlier this month on the Sheed and Tyler show by finding a new hot approach, arguing that Jordan was actually more of a threat in the twilight of his career with the Washington Wizards that the rest of his career with the The Chicago Bulls.
“I think he was a little bit more dangerous when he was with the Wizards,” Wallace said. “He didn’t have the athleticism that we used to see from MJ. … His angles were a little bit sharper. He was a strong two- and three-point guard. He wasn’t going to move them lightly. His shot got more dangerous. He got more solid as a veteran player over his years in Washington.”
Jordan spent the final two years of his career in Washington from 2001 to 2003 before hanging up his sneakers at the end of the 2002–03 campaign. In 142 games, Jordan averaged 21.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game, a significant drop from his career averages of 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game.
Contradicting Wallace’s argument, Jordan actually shot worse with the Wizards than his career averages, shooting 43.9 percent from the field (51 percent career average) and 24.1 percent from three-point range (32.7 percent career average) during his tenure there.
“Don’t leave him open. He’s always out there talking crap, but he’s dropping money,” Wallace said. “The only thing he was missing was [athleticism]” . “
Wins were also absent, as the Wizards missed the playoffs both years.
