EVENTS
Sportsman of the Year
Heisman Trophy
Swimsuit 2001
CENTERS
Fantasy Central
Inside Game
Video Plus
Statitudes
Your Turn
Message Boards
Email Newsletters
Golf Guide
Cities
CNNSI.com GROUP
Sports Illustrated
Life of Reilly
SI Women
SI for Kids
Press Room
TBS/TNT Sports
CNN Languages
COMMERCE
SI Customer Service
SI Media Kits
Get into College
Sports Memorabilia
TeamStore
| |
Then and now
Jordan will find a different NBA upon his return
Posted: Tuesday September 18, 2001 11:13 PM
Updated: Tuesday September 25, 2001 8:31 PM
| |
Michael Jordan was the best 35-year-old player in NBA history in 1998. How will he be as a 38-year-old in 2001? Doug PensingerAllsport |
By Jacob Luft, CNNSI.com
Nobody knows for sure if Michael Jordan will return as the dominant player he once was, but one thing is certain: The NBA is not the same as when he left it.
Jordan will find a younger, tougher league waiting to pounce on his 38-year-old body.
In Jordan's absence, a group of youngsters has survived its growing pains and emerged as solid stars. In MJ's last season of 1997-98, Kobe Bryant was a second-year player averaging 15.4 points and 26 minutes a game. Vince Carter was still in college, as was his North Carolina teammate, Antawn Jamison.
Elton Brand, Jason Terry, Lamar Odom and Steve Francis weren't in the NBA yet, and neither were Dirk Nowitzki and Predrag Stojakovic. Allen Iverson was good, but he wasn't the unstoppable MVP we saw last season.
| Different Times |
|---|
|
2000-01 NBA averages compared to 1997-98:
|
| |
2001 |
1998 |
| Age |
27.75 |
27.82 |
| Scoring |
94.8 |
95.6 |
| FG Pct. |
.443 |
.450 |
| FT Pct. |
.748 |
.737 |
| 3-FG Pct. |
.354 |
.346 |
| Steals |
7.8 |
8.4 |
| |
| |
Overall, the average age of NBA players has decreased from 27.82 to 27.75.
Jordan might find baskets a bit harder to come by in the 21st century NBA. Teams averaged 94.8 points per game last season, down from 95.6 in 1997-98. The league's shooting percentage dropped from .450 to .443 in that same span.
The Utah Jazz led the NBA in team shooting percentage in 1997-98 with a .490 clip. The Jazz led the league last season as well, but their percentage was only .471. (See charts, below.)
Moreover, opponents will have the benefit of zone defenses this season to try to clamp down on MJ.
Here are some other tidbits on a possible comeback by His Airness:
If Jordan leads the league in scoring, he will break his own record as oldest scoring champion (35, 1997-98). Jordan was also the oldest scoring champ at age 34 and 33. He is one of four players in history to win a scoring title at age 30 or older, along with Jerry West, George Gervin and Bernard King.
Jordan will have a chance to break his own mark as oldest player to win an MVP award (35, 1997-98). The record for oldest NBA Finals MVP belongs to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who took home that honor in 1985, a month after turning 38.
Karl Malone is the all-time leader with 11 All-NBA First Team selections. Jordan has 10, along with Abdul-Jabbar, West, Bob Cousy, Bob Pettit and Elgin Baylor.
The Mailman is first on the NBA's active scoring list with 32,919 career points, which ranks second all time behind Abdul-Jabbar's 38,387. Wilt Chamberlain (31,419) is third and Jordan (29,277) fourth.
| Scoring |
| 2000-01 |
1997-98 |
| Allen Iverson |
31.1 |
| Jerry Stackhouse |
29.8 |
| Shaquille O'Neal |
28.7 |
| Kobe Bryant |
28.5 |
| Vince Carter |
27.6 |
| Chris Webber |
27.1 |
| Tracy McGrady |
26.8 |
| Paul Pierce |
25.3 |
| Antawn Jamison |
24.9 |
| Stephon Marbury |
23.9 |
|
| Michael Jordan |
28.7 |
| Shaquille O'Neal |
28.3 |
| Karl Malone |
27.0 |
| Mitch Richmond |
23.2 |
| Antoine Walker |
22.4 |
| Shareef Abdur-Rahim |
22.3 |
| Glen Rice |
22.0 |
| Allen Iverson |
22.0 |
| Chris Webber |
21.9 |
| David Robinson |
21.6 |
|
| |
| Rebounding |
| 2000-01 |
1997-98 |
| Dikembe Mutombo |
13.5 |
| Ben Wallace |
13.2 |
| Shaquille O'Neal |
12.7 |
| Tim Duncan |
12.2 |
| Antonio McDyess |
12.1 |
| Kevin Garnett |
11.4 |
| Chris Webber |
11.1 |
| Shawn Marion |
10.7 |
| Antonio Davis |
10.1 |
| Elton Brand |
10.1 |
|
| Dennis Rodman |
15.0 |
| Jayson Williams |
13.6 |
| Tim Duncan |
11.9 |
| Dikembe Mutombo |
11.4 |
| David Robinson |
10.6 |
| Karl Malone |
10.3 |
| Anthony Mason |
10.2 |
| Antoine Walker |
10.2 |
| Arvydas Sabonis |
10.0 |
| Kevin Garnett |
9.6 |
|
| |
| Steals |
| 2000-01 |
1997-98 |
| Allen Iverson |
2.51 |
| Mookie Blaylock |
2.36 |
| Doug Christie |
2.26 |
| Jason Kidd |
2.16 |
| Baron Davis |
2.07 |
| Terrell Brandon |
2.06 |
| Ron Artest |
2.00 |
| Darrell Armstrong |
1.80 |
| Steve Francis |
1.76 |
| Antoine Walker |
1.70 |
|
| Mookie Blaylock |
2.61 |
| Brevin Knight |
2.45 |
| Doug Christie |
2.44 |
| Gary Payton |
2.26 |
| Allen Iverson |
2.20 |
| Eddie Jones |
2.00 |
| Jason Kidd |
1.98 |
| Kendall Gill |
1.93 |
| Hersey Hawkins |
1.80 |
| Clyde Drexler |
1.80 |
|
| |
| Team Field Goal Percentage |
| 2000-01 |
1997-98 |
| Utah |
.471 |
| Portland |
.468 |
| L.A. Lakers |
.465 |
| San Antonio |
.461 |
| Dallas |
.459 |
| Milwaukee |
.458 |
| Minnesota |
.458 |
| Seattle |
.456 |
| Houston |
.453 |
| Sacramento |
.449 |
|
| Utah |
.490 |
| L.A. Lakers |
.481 |
| Seattle |
.473 |
| Indiana |
.469 |
| Phoenix |
.468 |
| Charlotte |
.468 |
| San Antonio |
.468 |
| Minnesota |
.461 |
| Vancouver |
.458 |
| Milwaukee |
.456 |
|
| |
| Playoff Teams |
| 2000-01 |
1997-98 |
| East |
West |
| Philadelphia |
San Antonio |
| Milwaukee |
L.A. Lakers |
| Miami |
Sacramento |
| New York |
Utah |
| Toronto |
Dallas |
| Charlotte |
Phoenix |
| Orlando |
Portland |
| Indiana |
Minnesota |
|
| East |
West |
| Chicago |
Utah |
| Miami |
Seattle |
| Indiana |
L.A. Lakers |
| Charlotte |
San Antonio |
| Atlanta |
Phoenix |
| Cleveland |
Portland |
| New York |
Minnesota |
| New Jersey |
Houston |
|
|
Copyright © 2001
CNN/Sports Illustrated
An AOL Time Warner Company.
All Rights Reserved.
|
Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines.
|
|
