Michael Jordan Would Beat Luka, Giannis & Others in 2025, Claims 48YO HC After James Harden Comparison

The nostalgia fever is running high as Michael Jordan is coming back to the game. It’s been over two decades since he last stepped on the hardwood, and over two years since he sold his majority stake in the Hornets. This time, the return of the Bulls legend is not in either of those capacities, but rather as a special contributor to NBC. Now that the 6x NBA is returning, the what-if scenario of today’s players not being better than MJ is once again on display. Is he?

Recently, it was a former teammate of MJ and the current Clippers Head Coach who made a very blunt assessment, thanks to Shannon Sharpe. The host on his show asked, “I’ve heard a lot of people say, in today’s game—with the way it’s being played and officiated—Jordan, at his apex… how many points would he average today?” The answer is concise and easy to remember for everyone. “Oh man—45,” said Tyronn Lue. Over the years, he has been the only one to say this.

The 48-year-old HC detailed his analysis and explained that today’s game will only help His Airness. “What you mean? You can’t touch nobody. It’s a foul. So I mean—you’ve got the best player in the world. 45. What’d he average? 36 one year? 37? Yeah. So yeah, add eight to that, ’cause every time he gets touched—it’s two free throws. The zone stuff could be a difference. You know, like back then you had illegal defense. But yeah—I don’t see a year where he wouldn’t average 45. You couldn’t touch nobody,” Lue concluded.

The game has changed a lot over the years, and while we don’t know how Michael would have adapted, Lue believes the foul rules and modern defensive habits would create the perfect conditions for Jordan to thrive. After averaging 28.2 and 22.7 points in his first three seasons, Jordan averaged a career-best 37.1 points in the 1986-87 campaign before averaging 30+ points in eight of his 15 NBA seasons. In the current players’ context, Luka Doncic, in his 7-year NBA career, has averaged 30+ twice, and Giannis, in his 12-year stint, has broken that number three times, all in the past three seasons.

That’s why Lue believes that Jordan could easily manage 45 points in today’s game. That’s why when SGA scored 45, the Clippers HC was quick to analyze their similarities. In fact, Jeff Van Gundy, George Karl, and even Chris Broussard have previously stated that Michael Jordan could at least average 40 in this current era. Despite many praising His Airness, not everybody is bullish on his abilities.

Is James Harden better than Michael Jordan?

The comparison with today’s generation is also in trend, since a video from the 76ers executive claiming James Harden is a better player than Michael Jordan resurfaced. Harden’s success comes from his style of play — shooting 3-pointers, drawing fouls, and kick-out passes. He averages 24 points per game for his career. His shooting efficiency is high, with a true shooting percentage over 60 percent. Harden has led the league in scoring three times. That’s why Daryl Morey was very keen for Harden to jump ship, and he did.

“If you looked at the data at the time, once he had the ball in his hands, and it’s still true to this day, I get a lot of s—,” Morey said. “Someone asked me who’s the better scorer, him or Michael Jordan? It’s just factual that James Harden is a better scorer than Michael Jordan.” Even MJ once admitted what he liked about Harden’s abilities. “I think what you’re seeing with James Harden is the same. He’s not doing this off the whim. It’s something he’s worked on and he’s perfected to the point where the results are starting to show.”

Jordan once said, reflecting on what makes Harden special–keeping things simple. Working on things that have already worked for the current Clippers star screams consistency and hard work. Now, this might directly tell us who was better, but no hypothetical question can be answered with certainty. But with MJ in his role, we can see more appreciation towards the current stars, which brings more positive take on the comparison.