Part of Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan's theoretical GOAT case over LeBron James is Jordan's perceived great defensive ability. Although Jordan couldn't defend as many positions as James, the Bulls icon was widely recognized as an elite on-ball defender, helping him to establish himself as one of the first real “two way” players in the league.
Recently, former Washington Wizards star and current podcaster Gilbert Arenas took to his own Gil's Arena Show podcast to break down why he thinks Jordan's defensive prowess was helped significantly by his legendary teammate, Scottie Pippen.
“Think about when he made his first All Defensive Team. It’s the year Scottie Pippen comes to the game.,” said Arenas. “He wasn’t considered a defensive player until Scottie Pippen comes. Because now him and Scottie Pippen can do exactly what their, when he’s on the ball, Scottie Pippen you follow me. Scottie Pippen when you have the ball I net everything up. Right so they had a great system.”
Indeed, it was often Scottie Pippen, not Michael Jordan, who was taking on the toughest defensive assignments for the opposition, allowing Jordan the leeway to gamble (on the basketball court) for more steals and produce more fast break highlights than he otherwise would have been able to.
Of course, that shouldn't take away from the defensive prowess that Michael Jordan did possess, especially as that side of the ball has been legislated out of the game in recent years due in part to rules like the defensive three-second violation which was added to help inflate the scoring numbers of superstars like both Jordan and James.
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