Los Angeles Clippers head coach Ty Lue is one of the few players who have shared the court with former Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan. Although he didn’t witness his prime years, which were in Chicago, Lue still saw flashes of his stardom. When the current head coach was teammates with MJ, he was with the Washington Wizards.
In his prime, the six-time champion was dominant on both ends of the floor. He won 10 Scoring Titles, seven of which came from a seven-season stretch from 1986-1993. In contrast to the NBA of today, Jordan’s mid-range skill and intelligence took over the scoring.
The stars of the modern NBA usually rely on shooting plenty of 3-pointers. Jordan, on the other hand, attempted 3.6 threes in the 1996-97 season, which was the most of his career. Even with that many tries, he still won the league’s scoring record.
On Wednesday’s episode of “Club Shay Shay,” Lue was asked by the host, former NFL tight end Shannon Sharpe, about Jordan. He asked the Los Angeles Clippers head coach how many points a prime Jordan could average in the current league.
“Today? 45,” Lue answered.
Ty Lue says Michael Jordan would average 45 points in today’s NBA, per @ClubShayShay
What other proof do you need 🤷🏽♂️
(h/t @ApexJones22)
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) August 28, 2025
“What you mean? You can’t touch nobody, it’s a foul. You got the best player in the world.
“He averaged 36 one year? 37? So, add eight to that… Everytime you get touched, you get two free throws. The zone stuff could be a difference. Back then, it was an illegal defense. But I don’t see — it wouldn’t be a year he wouldn’t average 45. You can’t touch nobody now.”
Aside from the rule changes, Lue said that Jordan is a smart scorer and will take advantage of what the defense will give.
Fans react to what the Los Angeles Clippers head coach said about Jordan
The Los Angeles Clippers head coach strongly believes that Jordan will dominate in today’s NBA. Given that there is less physicality and the officiating is different, Lue knows how the 14-time All-Star can dominate.
After hearing what he said about Jordan and the current league, fans revealed their thoughts.
“MJ has 32.7% FG shooting from the 3. Ain’t no way he averages 45 without that bruh,” a fan disagreed.
“He would average 15 ppg max 😂😂😂” another fan said.
“lol if he could not do it then he can’t do it now , anfernee Simon’s will be like MJ if farmers was still playing like the 80a” one fan commented.
lol if he could not do it then he can’t do it now , anfernee Simon’s will be like MJ if farmers was still playing like the 80a
— hardaway $S (@swappenny) August 28, 2025
Other fans agree with what Lue said.
“That’s ridiculous… he would average 50-55 easily”
“Easily 40 for sure 🔒 🐐”
“He avg 37 with only making 12 threes all season He’d easily avg 40. He would have added the three ball to his game too”
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
